← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 1 kg carrots (red Delhi carrots if you can find them), peeled and finely grated
• 1 l whole milk
• 3 tbsp ghee, divided
• 180 g sugar, or to taste
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 30 g cashews, almonds and pistachios, chopped
• 2 tbsp Raisins (optional)

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the ghee in a large, heavy, wide pan over medium heat and cook the grated carrots for 5 min, stirring, until they soften and smell sweet.
2. Pour in the milk and bring to the boil. Lower to a steady simmer and cook for 45–50 min, stirring every few minutes (more often towards the end), until almost all the milk has evaporated and the carrots look thick and creamy.
3. Stir in the sugar. It will melt and loosen the mixture; keep cooking and stirring for 10–15 min, until it thickens again and starts to come away from the base of the pan.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining ghee in a small pan over medium-low heat and fry the nuts for 2–3 min, until golden. Add the raisins for the last 30 seconds, until they puff.
5. Stir the cardamom, nuts, raisins and their ghee into the halwa and cook for 2 min more, until glossy. Serve warm, on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tips

• A wide pan is the secret: the milk reduces much faster, and a heavy base stops it catching. Scrape the bottom every time you stir.
• Contains dairy and nuts. Keeps for 4 days in the fridge; warm it gently with a splash of milk.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Swasthi's Recipes Cook With Manali