How To Make Carrot Halwa

 

This traditional Gajar Ka Halwa is made with Carrots, Cream, Khoya, Sugar, Ghee and lots of Nuts. It's a delicious North Indian sweet but is relished on every occasion. Serve this classic, rich and creamy halwa and enjoy it with your loved ones!

Happy holi everyone!! Holi is a festival of colors and celebrated with great warmth and high spirit. It’s a major festival in India. It begins with the lightening of bonfire and welcome the new beginnings with open arms. This festival is incomplete without the exchange of gifts, fruits, dry fruits and sweets.

There are host of traditional delicacies that are relished on holi festival and make this occasion even more enjoyable like Pede, Kheer, Gujiya, Puranpoli, Malpua, Ladoo, Thandai, Rasmalai, Jalebi, Sevaiya or Gajar ka Halwa and many more.

This Holi, my Mother and I have made Gajar Ka Halwa. It's a traditional North Indian Sweet that both kids and adults can enjoy. It's a must try dessert for winter season. So do try this recipe with your friends and family and enjoy the day!

This dessert hardly needs any occasion to be prepared and relished. It keeps you warm and healthy and can be served at all festivals like Diwali, Eid, Holi, Raksha Bandhan.

This Carrot based sweet dessert pudding is so rich and satisfying that I can have it all day and night. The method is sure time consuming, but the halwa is so soft and delicious, and the aroma of the cardamom powder is absolutely irresistible. It’s a slow cooked dessert but if you know the proper method it doesn’t take much time.

All you need is fresh, sweet, and abundance of red carrots which is properly washed, peeled than grated. It goes into non stick pan. Add a lot of khoya, full fat cream, sugar, ghee and lots of nuts in it and your Gajar Ka Halwa is ready. 

So this was the simple recipe of your low fat, low calorie Gajar Ka Halwa. Make this Holi delicacy and also let us know how you like it in the comments below.

Gajar Ka Halwa | Carrot Halwa Recipe | 

 How To Make Gajar Halwa 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6-8 People

Author : The Food Root

Ingredients:

8-10 large carrots

1/2 cup full fat cream (milk cream)

5 tbsp sugar

1 cup crumbled khoya

4 tbsp ghee 

Chopped dry fruits of your choice - (optional)

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 tbsp cashews

2 tbsp almonds

1 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp pistachios

Method:

 

1. Wash the carrots and peel it with grater to discard the skin.

2. Heat the non stick pan, add the grated carrots, mix, and cook them till the quantity is reduced to half, on a medium flame. Stir continuously, until it  changes it's color. It will take around 12-15 minutes. 

3. Pour full fat cream in the pan and stir it continuously till it evaporates. It will take around 2 minutes.

4. Add sugar, as per your sweetness and mix it well. Cook for another 4 minutes on medium flame, while stirring continuously.

5. Next, add crumbled Khoya mix it well. Cover and cook them on a medium flame for around 10 minutes than stir it for a while.

6. Add ghee and mix it for next 2 minutes.

7. Add cardamom powder and chopped dry fruits and mix well for next 2 minutes.

8. And, your gajar ka halwa is ready. Turn off the heat, and let it rest for few minutes before serving.

Notes:

1. You can also add milk in Gajar Ka Halwa and boil it on low heat and keep stirring until the milk evaporates but it's totally optional.

2. I’ve added full fat cream instead of milk so that it doesn't take much time to get ready.

3. It tastes good without cardamom powder as well but the aroma of the cardamom powder in indian desserts is unbeatable.

4. Add chopped dry fruits of your choice.

5. You can also add vanilla ice cream on top of it and serve.

6. It can be prepared a day before or two before a large gathering. Just reheat gajar ka halwa at the time of serving.

7. You can also add some jaggery instead of sugar in the halwa.

8. You can increase or decrease sugar as per your taste.

9. Gajar ka halwa can be stored in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

10. Even adding ghee in the gajar halwa is totally optional.

Planting, Growing and Harvesting Carrot

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Carrot

Carrot is the food root vegetable grown and consumed throughout the world. Carrots love to grow in a cool temperature just like Radish, Beet, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Leek and many other root vegetables.

There is something special about homegrown produce. Lately, I grew these carrots in my containers. These are some beautiful carrots which I picked up today. Chunky, long and straight.

Carrots are very versatile in various number of dishes. It has a crunchy texture and a sweet taste to it. The color of the carrot is usually red, orange and yellow. They are due to pigments, carotene which makes the carrot orange and anthocyanin makes it bit yellow, red and blue. Here's a step by step guide on how to to grow, plant and harvest carrots from seeds in a pot or a container

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Carrot - Here's a step by step guide on how to to grow, plant and harvest carrots from seeds in a pot or a container.

1. Grow Carrot in a Pot

I'm growing red carrots which is very common here in India. They are very easy to grow in winters. It's a cool weather crop. It prefers well-drained, moist and rich soil. Buy a 6 inches deep round container with holes while sowing carrots in containers.

While growing carrot in a pot you may plant 5-6 seeds in one single pot. Cover the seeds with a layer of soil, and water them gently. It needs well drained soil which are free from rocks. Sprinkle pinches of seeds thinly along the row and cover the seeds with soil. 

Take the containers or pots and fill them with well-drained potting mix by adding compost, manure or any other fertiliser before planting. Soil should be well drained and need to be free of rocks.

I generally grow carrots from the seeds. You can buy these seeds from the nurseries or even order them online. They need to be sown in late spring season, after the threat of frost has been passed.

2. Plant Carrot in a pot

Sow carrot seeds ½ inch to 1 inch deep and about ¾ inch to 1 inch apart. Cover the seeds with a layer of soil, and gently lamp down to firm. It needs well drained soil which are free from rocks. When your plants are 4 inches high, the carrots are ready to harvest.

When growing in carrot in a pot you may plant 5-6 seeds in a pot or containers while growing carrots. Sow the seeds very thinly over the top than cover with the quarter inch (1 cm) layer of potting soil.  Lightly water them in every 1 to 3 days.

3. Caring of Carrot

Carrot need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Water the plant regularly so that the soil do not drive out too quickly. After 2 weeks the roots will come up you need to give the support to the carrots with soil from all the sides so that they grow straight and healthy.

The plant will take 2 months to mature. After 1 month, put some fertiliser, compost or manure into the soil. To help your carrots grow as long as possible, soil surface should be cleared. It should be fertile, healthy, sandy and well-drained. It should be well dug, by removing any stones and rocks, as it tends to impede your carrots growth. 

The flies which can destroy the roots of carrots can be protected by alternatively growing companion plants such as leeks with carrots. Keeping the soil moist will help can also avoid this. Carrots doesn’t need additional feeding but needs organic mulching and fertilisers in the soil, after every 6-7 weeks, so that they remain healthy.

4. How to Harvest Carrot

If you have planted your carrots into the fall it’s best to harvest in winters. When your plants are 4 inches high. You may find that the carrots are large enough to eat.

Carrots take almost 2 months to get the first harvest after planting. Lift the carrots as they as soon as they reach the right size.

Storing and Preserving Carrot

Carrots can be kept in the refrigerator for at least 1 week or can be stored in damp sand boxes which can be kept in a cool, dark place.

How to use Carrots in cuisines

Carrots can be eaten both in raw and in every cooked forms. It can be pickled, stir fried, soups, smoothies, patties, salads and various other cuisines.

Health Benefits of Carrots

Carrots are low in calories and contains no fat. They are rich in Vitamin A, B8, C, L, Folate, Potassium, Iron, Copper and Manganese. Vitamin A keeps eye, skin, hair healthy. Vitamin C stimulates the activity of white blood cells. Potassium helps to increase blood flow and circulation, reduces hypertension and heart diseases. Other nutrients and minerals prevent to fight Cancer and keeps your body healthy.

I hope you loved our tips on Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Carrots and other useful information too. Do, let us know in the comment section below.

You can also go through our tips on Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Radish.

Happy Gardening!

Namaste!

Sautéed Broccoli And Carrots

Heat up your pan and get ready to dig in to the best sautéed broccoli and carrots recipe that goes well with noodles, steamed rice or a vegetable platter.

This dish is a crispy and crunchy which will definitely surprise you! It’s a party in your mouth with lot of explosions. A perfect vegan dish for anytime of the day and gets ready in less than 15 minutes.

Sautéed broccoli and carrots is a colourful and delicious side dish. It's super simple and super easy to make. I make these sautéed vegetables recipe so often at our house, as my family love this recipe. I make this dish with carrots, broccoli and bell peppers as these are my favorite vegetables.

Broccoli is the best of all the cruciferous vegetables. It can be eaten raw, but blanching it in boiling water helps it give to a more crisp-tender texture. It protect your body from various diseases. It is rich in dietary fiber, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants. t’s a rich source of Vitamin A, K, C and many other minerals.

Carrots are the versatile vegetable and can be used in various dishes. It has a crunchy texture and a sweet taste. It comes in red, orange and yellow color which is due to pigments. Carotene makes the carrot orange and anthocyanin makes it bit yellow and red. They are rich in Vitamin A, B8, C, L, Folate, Potassium, Iron, Copper and Manganese.

Bell Peppers gives colorful, crispy, crunchy, sweet and salty flavour to the recipe. It comes in three colors - green, red and yellow. You can use pepper of any colour in the dish. They are an excellent source of vitamin A and C and are also a good source of dietary fibre, vitamin E, B6 and folate.

I typically serve this comfort meal as a side dish but you can serve it as an easy appetizer. It is a nutrient dense meal, so tender and tasty which fills you up quickly and tastes best with noodles, steamed rice or a vegetable platter.

How To Make Stir-Fry Vegetables?

It requires basic ingredients you likely have on hand like -  broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, olive oil, a splash of vinegar and flavourful herbs and spices.

1. Add harder veggies first, followed by softer veggies.
2. Only cook the veggies until they’re tender and crisp, but do not overlook them.
3. Feel free to substitute your favourite veggies.
4. Add your choice of flavourful herbs and spices.
5. Add your choice of sauces or condiments, which add flavour boost to your food, and make it savoury, sweet or spicy.
6. Extra virgin olive oil is perfect for sautéing vegetables but in case you don’t have olive oil in hand, you can use butter.

This recipe is a beautiful blend of carrots, broccoli and bell peppers. I totally adore the combination of these beautiful veggies. I'm a great fan of these veggies, but feel free to substitute your favourite veggies. You can control your spice level according to your taste preferences and requirements.

I love making this recipe a lot. It has so much flavours and textures. It tastes best when vinegar and cayenne powder is added, and is served hot.


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To prepare this yummy dish, first blanch broccoli in hot water then drain them into the bowl of cold water and strain them again and keep it aside for some time. Next, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, and add carrots and stir-fry them for 3 minutes or until they are tender. Add bell peppers, stir-fry for 2 minutes but do not overcook. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute. Then add cayenne powder and stir-fry for 1 minute. Season with salt to taste and sauté them for 2 more minutes. Drizzle vinegar and sauté for 1-2 minutes and enjoy.

Make it exciting, but not bland or boring. Add your favourite veggies and condiments and your kids will love it!

Check out my other post on easy and yummy stir-fry recipe - Sautéed Broccoli with Bell Peppers and enjoy!!

Sautéed Broccoli and Carrots

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 3 people
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or butter
2 large carrots (cut them into thin strips)
1 medium broccoli florets  (300 grams)
1 medium bell pepper (Remove the seeds and cut 1/4 inch slice off)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp rice vinegar

Method

1. Bring in a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, fill a bowl with a cold water preferably with ice cubes in it. Set it aside. When the water is boiling, add 1/2 tbsp of salt and broccoli florets. After 3 minutes, remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon or drain the florets in a colander. Now plunge them into the bowl of cold water and after 1 minute, strain them again.

2. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of virgin olive oil or butter. Reduce to low medium heat, when the oil is hot enough, add carrots and sauté approximately for 3 minutes or until they are tender.

3. Then, add bell peppers, and stir well for 2 minutes or until they are tender, but do not overcook.

4. Add the broccoli and toss it for 2 minutes.

5. Next, add garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute.

6. Season to taste with salt and cayenne powder and stir well for 1 minute.

7. Drizzle vinegar and continue to stir-fry about 2 minutes. Serve Sautéed Broccoli And Carrots and enjoy!

Notes

1. In addition to the florets, the broccoli stems are edible. The stems work well in a stir fry recipes but make sure to peel the skin and cut them into thin circular shape.

2. You can drizzle any sauce you want like - soy sauce, miso sauce or barbecue sauce to enhance the flavour of the meal.

3. You can add lemon and this will enrich your recipe.


* Keep it simple and find vegetables you actually enjoy eating, and try Sautéed Broccoli and Carrots and let me know how you like it!!