Carrot Halwa
Halwa is delicious strands of grated carrot, slowly cooked in milk and ghee until deliciously creamy. I first came across the recipe after wondering about new ways to use carrot in sweet treats. I still remember I had my head in the freezer doing a clear out when I thought of this – I imagined it with butter and toasted nuts. I squares wasn’t far off the gajwar halwa or carrot halwa: a famous Indian confection, steeped in tradition. Halwa comes in many forms, including grain- and nut-based versions, and has Arab origins, from where it travelled both East and West in various recipes using gourd, mung beans, semolina and rich nuts or gelatinous sweets (think of Turkish delight). It also has the same roots as the popular Mediterranean, Balkan and Middle Eastern halva, which is usually made from crushed sesame seeds and honey. For something similar, try the Chinese or Filipino take on this: Bean and Jaggery Fudge with Toasted Almonds (see here).
This recipe requires the same patience and attention as a risotto. The sugar content of halwa varies wildly – especially as it invariably appears at special occasions like weddings, where everyone gets high on an abundance of sugar in every form. Some recipes also use a lot of ghee – now I love ghee (can’t you tell?) but I like to use less here to keep the delicate texture and stop it from becoming too rich. I have used cashews and golden raisins, but it’s just as lovely with regular raisins. You could also use other nuts, such as almonds or pistachios.
Makes 6 squares
2 tbsp ghee or unrefined sesame oil
75g (½ cup) golden raisins
80g (½ cup) cashews, blanched almonds or pistachios, chopped
450g carrots, coarsely grated
750ml (3 cups) whole milk or almond milk, or 250ml (1 cup) full-fat coconut milk and 500ml (2 cups) water
3 tbsp jaggery or maple syrup
seeds of 5 cardamom pods, ground, or ¼ tsp ground cardamom
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the ghee, then stir in the raisins. When they puff, remove them from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, fry the cashews until golden brown and set aside.
2 Melt the remaining ghee and sauté the grated carrots for 2–3 minutes. Pour in the milk and cook on a medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent the carrots from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking for about 25 minutes.
3 Stir in the jaggery, cardamom, cinnamon, raisins and nuts and continue cooking on medium-low, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Take care that the halwa doesn’t stick to the pan as it dries out.
4 You can serve this in little bowls while it is hot, or at room temperature. Otherwise, cook until almost dry and allow to cool in a baking-parchment-lined container (about 12cm/4½ in square). Chill in the fridge before cutting into squares.
TIP
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To make this vegan, use unrefined sunflower oil instead of ghee and almond milk instead of dairy milk.