Gajar ka halwa

Gajar ka halwa, also known as gajorer halua, gajrela, gajar pak,[1] and carrot halwa[2][3][4] is a carrot-based sweet dessert pudding made by placing grated carrots in a pot containing a specific amount of water, milk and sugar, cardamom and then cooking while stirring regularly. It is often served with a garnish of almonds and pistachios.[5] The nuts and other items used are first sautéed in ghee, a type of clarified butter from the Indian subcontinent.[6]

Gajar ka halwa
Alternative namesGajar ka Meetha Pak, gajrela, gajorer halwa gazoror halwa, carrot pudding, carrot halwa, Gajar Pak
CourseDessert
Place of originIndian subcontinent
Region or stateIndian subcontinent
Associated cuisineIndia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal
Serving temperatureHot or cold
Main ingredientsCarrots, milk, water, ghee, sugar, khoya
VariationsBlack carrot halwa, red carrot halwa, carrot and beetroot halwa, cheesy carrot halwa

The dessert is traditionally eaten during all of the festivals in India, mainly on the occasion of Diwali,[7] Holi, Eid al-Fitr and Raksha Bandhan.[8] It is served hot during the winter.[9]

Description

Gajar ka halwa is a combination of nuts, milk, sugar, khoya and ghee with grated carrots.[10][11] It is a light nutritious dessert with less fat (a minimum of 10.03% and an average of 12.19%) than many other typical sweets from the Indian subcontinent.[12] Gajar halwa has a medium shelf life so it is now sometimes exported.

At festival time many people prefer vegetarian dishes as well as desserts in their thali. Because of its low fat content, vegetarian characteristics, ease of making, medium shelf-life and taste, gajar ka halwa is a popular dessert all over India and often served at most festivals. The dish is popular among adults as well as children. In 300 grams of gajar halwa there are 268 calories (76 come from fat, 180 from carbohydrate and 16 from protein).[13]

Recipe and ingredients

Gajar ka halwa originally contained carrots, milk and ghee but nowadays includes many other ingredients like mava (khoya).[14]

The main ingredients of gajar ka halwa are freshly grated carrots, milk, sugar, cardamom, khoya, and ghee.Being a combination of milk and carrots it is known as milk flavored gajar ka halwa but in the other case, the combination of cream or mava (khoya) and carrot is described as mava flavored gajar ka halwa.[15] For cooking gajar ka halwa, a cooker or kadai is usually preferred. Vasundhara Chauhan, writing for The Hindu, writes that gajar ka halwa should be slow-cooked and that using a pressure cooker spoils the dish.[16] The carrots must be grated before cooking.

Variations
Gajar ka Halwa as mithai (red discs present in middle)
Gajar ka halwa served with kheer

Red velvet carrot halwa is a variation of the gajar ka halwa. It is made by heating a comparatively large amount of milk cream along with carrots, sugar, rose water and saffron over low flame.[17]

Other lesser-known variations include carrot and beetroot halwa, cheese gajar ka halwa, khajur gajar ka halwa and carrot dessert. Cheese gajar ka halwa is prepared with a combination of purple carrots and ricotta. This dish is popular in northern India because purple carrots are mostly grown there.[18]

See also

References
  1. Chauhan, D. V. S. (1968). Vegetable Production in India. Ram Prasad.
  2. Recipe: Carrot Halwa
  3. Julie Sahni (1985). Classic Punjabi vegetarian and Grain Cooking. HarperCollins. p. 512. ISBN 0-688-04995-8.
  4. "Gajar Ka Gajrela". NDTV Cooks. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  5. "Carrot Halwa Panna Cotta". Gulfnews. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  6. Leverkuhn, A. "What is Carrot Halwa". Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  7. Palusci, Oriana (2010). English, But Not Quite: Locating Linguistic Diversity. Tangram Ediz. Scientifiche. ISBN 978-88-6458-007-4.
  8. "- Nanakfoods "Gajar Halwa on Festivals"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  9. "Recipe Khajur Gajar Halwa Carrot and Date Pudding with Coconut and Cardamom on Winter". Onegreenplanet.org. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  10. Sharma, Vaishali. "Gajar ka Halwa (Sweet Carrot Pudding)". Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  11. Rosen, Diana. "Carrot Halwa". Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  12. Deepti Pathak. Chef. "how to make perfect Gajar ka halwa". YouTube. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  13. "Nutrition Facts". Quitehealthy. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013.
  14. Penny Isaacs; Sarah Lockett (14 February 2009). The Dish. Troubador Publishing Ltd. p. 139. ISBN 9781848761018. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  15. The Raman family (2012). "Carrot halwa Veg". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  16. "Vasundhara Chauhan Article72932". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 January 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  17. Gupta, Sonia. "Red velvet gajar halwa". Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  18. Sahni, Chetna (28 March 2009). "A Mad Tea Party". Retrieved 28 September 2012.
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Cookbook:Gajjar Halwa


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