Gajar Halwa / Gajrela
(A mouth-watering Indian dessert made from carrots, milk, and sugar).
We need four simple ingredients and some nuts to make this delicious dessert. This Indian sweet is generally made during the winter season when the markets are flooded with large red carrots. These carrots are much sweeter and have a unique flavour, making them perfect for making halwa.
This recipe is the simplest way to make Gajar Halwa with full-cream milk. The grated carrots are cooked with the milk and sugar. As the milk reduces, the mixture thickens, and carrot halwa is ready to please your taste buds! Yes, it’s that simple! Try this recipe, and let me know how you like it.
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
1 kg red carrots (गाजर)
4 tbsp clarified butter (शुद्ध देसी घी)
10-12 cashew nuts (काजू)
10-12 raisins (सुनेहरी किशमिश)
10-12 pistachios (पिस्ता)
1 litre full cream milk (पूरी मलाई वाला दूध)
1 - 1.25 cup granulated white sugar as per taste (चीनी)
1 tsp cardamom powder (इलाइची पाउडर)
Method
Wash the carrots and peel them. Remove the ends of each carrot and cut them in half.
Grate the carrots using the larger bore of the grater (as shown in the video). You can use a food processor too. Set the grated carrots aside.
Chop the cashews and pistachios roughly.
In a heavy bottom pan/kadhai, heat clarified butter on low flame. Add the nuts and gently fry them in the butter on a low flame till they become fragrant.
Add the grated carrots and give everything a nice stir. Fry the carrots in the butter for 5-7 minutes. This step imparts a lovely flavour to the halwa.
Pour the milk over the carrots and then add sugar. Mix everything gently.
Cover and cook the mixture for 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
Remove the lid on the pan/kadhai.
Keep cooking the mixture while intermittently stirring it. Stirring ensures that the mixture doesn’t stick to the kadhai. Do NOT cover the pan now.
As we cook the mixture, the water starts evaporating, the milk starts reducing and the mixture starts to thicken.
Turn off the heat when the mixture becomes thick and almost all water has evaporated. It will roughly take 45-50 minutes to reach this stage.
Add freshly ground cardamom powder and mix it well in the halwa.
Garnish with chopped nuts.
CARROT HALWA/ GAJRELA IS READY TO EAT !!
SERVE HOT OR COLD.
Notes -
Grate the carrots using the grater's larger bore (the side with big holes). If you are using the food processor, use the attachment that has big grating holes. If you use the fine grater (with small holes), the halwa turns mushy later and loses its texture.
Using full-cream milk is very important for making this halwa. The skimmed milk will make this dish bland.
You can add Mawa/Khoya or milk powder to this halwa. However, I prefer to use milk only.
Roasting the carrots in the ghee gives this halwa a lovely taste. So, do not skip this step.
I add the nuts in the ghee with the carrots and cook them in the milk. They swell when cooked like this. I like these swelled nuts. However, you can fry them in ghee separately (in a small pan) and add them to the halwa later.
The amount of sugar to be added depends on how sweet you like your halwa. Taste the halwa when it is about to be done and add more sugar if needed.
You can have this halwa when hot or refrigerate it and serve it cold.
This halwa can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Gajar Halwa / Carrot Halwa / Gajrela / गाजर हलवा
Ingredients
- 1 kg red carrots (गाजर)
- 4 tbsp clarified butter (शुद्ध देसी घी)
- 10-12 cashew nuts (काजू)
- 10-12 raisins (सुनेहरी किशमिश)
- 10-12 pistachios (पिस्ता)
- 1 litre full cream milk (पूरी मलाई वाला दूध)
- 1 - 1.25 cup granulated white sugar as per taste (चीनी)
- 1 tsp cardamom powder (इलाइची पाउडर)
Method
- Wash the carrots and peel them. Remove the ends of each carrot and cut them in half.
- Grate the carrots using the larger bore of the grater (as shown in the video). You can use a food processor too. Set the grated carrots aside.
- Chop the cashews and pistachios roughly.
- In a heavy bottom pan/kadhai, heat clarified butter on low flame. Add the nuts and gently fry them in the butter on a low flame till they become fragrant.
- Add the grated carrots and give everything a nice stir. Fry the carrots in the butter for 5-7 minutes. This step imparts a lovely flavour to the halwa.
- Pour the milk over the carrots and then add sugar. Mix everything gently.
- Cover and cook the mixture for 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
- Remove the lid on the pan/kadhai.
- Keep cooking the mixture while intermittently stirring it. Stirring ensures that the mixture doesn’t stick to the kadhai. Do NOT cover the pan now.
- As we cook the mixture, the water starts evaporating, the milk starts reducing and the mixture starts to thicken.
- Turn off the heat when the mixture becomes thick and almost all water has evaporated. It will roughly take 45-50 minutes to reach this stage.
- Add freshly ground cardamom powder and mix it well in the halwa.
- Garnish with chopped nuts.
Notes
- Grate the carrots using the grater's larger bore (the side with big holes). If you are using the food processor, use the attachment that has big grating holes. If you use the fine grater (with small holes), the halwa turns mushy later and loses its texture.
- Using full-cream milk is very important for making this halwa. The skimmed milk will make this dish bland.
- You can add Mawa/Khoya or milk powder to this halwa. However, I prefer to use milk only.
- Roasting the carrots in the ghee gives this halwa a lovely taste. So, do not skip this step.
- I add the nuts in the ghee with the carrots and cook them in the milk. They swell when cooked like this. I like these swelled nuts. However, you can fry them in ghee separately (in a small pan) and add them to the halwa later.
- The amount of sugar to be added depends on how sweet you like your halwa. Taste the halwa when it is about to be done and add more sugar if needed.
- You can have this halwa when hot or refrigerate it and serve it cold.
- This halwa can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
A delicious Indian sweet dish.
Did you make this recipe?
Kindly let me know in the comments section below and tag @bitesandbokeh on INSTAGRAM.