Gajar ka halwa is a very popular winter dessert in North India. Gajar ka halwa is also known as gajrela or gajar pak. Actually, the most important part of the recipe is to cook carrots in milk for a long time, on a slow flame. You have to remain nearby to stir the halwa so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the cooking vessel. But the end result is very tasty. Busy people avoid making gajar halwa because of the time-consuming procedure and purchase gajar halwa from outside.
Earlier, everyone was making gajar halwa in their houses. You can find lots of traditional halwa recipe on You Tube. I am posting this recipe for people who don’t have enough time to make halwa in the traditional way. This is my “turat furat wali” (quick) recipe for all halwa lovers.
I think it serves no purpose to make 2-3 kg gajar halwa. Make a small quantity and enjoy fresh gajar halwa, because you can make it in 15 -20 minutes, using this recipe. That is why I have used only ½ kg of carrots. This is an easy and fast recipe, by this recipe you can make gajar halwa for your dinner dessert.
Please try this recipe and let me how you like it.
PREP TIME: 10 min
COOKING TIME: 25-30 minutes
SERVES: 3-4 persons
INGREDIENTS FOR GAJAR KA HALWA:
1. Grated winter red carrots – 2 cup or ½ kg
2. Fresh cream (malai) -1/2 cup
3. Mawa (khoya) – 200gm
4. ghee-1tbsp
5. sugar – ¼ cup
6. almonds chopped – 10-12
7. cashew nuts chopped 10-12
8. resins – 10-12
9. cardamom powder – ½ tsp
HOW TO MAKE GAJAR KA HALWA:
1. Take fresh red carrots. Peel them and grate them. Remove the yellow core of carrots.
2. Put grated carrots and sugar in a pressure cooker. There is no need to add water.
3. Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Put it on a flame. Give 2-3 whistles. Turn off the gas. Let the pressure cooker cool down.
4. Open the lid, when the pressure goes down by itself
5. Now put a kadhai on a flame. Transfer boiled carrots to the kadhai. Stir it occasionally, till the water reduces.
6. Add fresh cream or malai. Stir it for a while.
7. When malai is well-mixed with carrots, add ghee. Now roast (bhuna) the halwa for some time.
8. Add khoya and roast it on a slow flame, until the khoya is roasted.
9. Now add chopped nuts and cardamom powder to the halwa.
10.The halwa is ready now. Serve it hot.
TIPS:
1. The layer of cream which settles on milk is called malai. If you don’t have malai, add milk when you put carrots in the pressure cooker. Add 1 cup milk to half kg carrots.
2. But, remember, never add sugar to milk when you are going to boil it, otherwise the milk may curdle (phat jayega).
3. Add sugar when you roast the halwa.
4. You can skip the milk or malai if you add some more khoya. But milk or malai enhances the taste of halwa.
5. I use malai and khoya in my recipe. So, you need to use very little ghee or you can even totally skip ghee.