Roma's Space

Carrot Halwa (Gajar Ka Halwa)

In the season when sweet red carrots are available this dessert is a natural choice. Though you can make it with orange carrots too the taste isn’t quite like the one you get with the red ones.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups grated red carrot
• 1/2 cup sugar (as per your taste)
• 1/2 cup khoya
• 1/2 cup ghee
• Pinch of elaichi powder
• Dry fruits (almonds, cashew nuts, raisins)

Procedure :

1. Steam carrot till its soft.
2. Heat ghee. Fry dry fruits and take them out.
3. To the remaining ghee add grated carrot and fry till water dries up.
4. Add roasted khoya and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Finally add sugar, fried dry fruits and elaichi powder.
6. Continue to cook till the halwa comes together.

Variation

If you dont have Khoya you can use milk cream instead. You can freeze the cream that settles on top of the milk for a month or so and make this dessert. Only difference is that it will take a little longer to make than khoya and will be heavier too.

Basmati Kheer

Ingredients :

• 1.5 cups of Basmati rice
• 3 tablespoons of ghee
• Few pieces of chopped Badam, Kaju, Kismis, elaichi
• Few strands of Kesar
• Milk 1.5 litres
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 100 grams khoya

Procedure :

1. Soak rice for an hour and wash till milkiness goes away.
2. Heat 1.5 tablespoons of ghee in a cooker and fry the rice for sometime. Add 2.5 cups of water and pressure cook till rice is done.
3. In a kadai heat remaining ghee and fry the badam, kaju and kismis in it. Once done, take them out of the kadai and fry the cooked rice in it.
4. Now add 1 litre of boiled milk and mix well with the rice, stirring continuously. Once thick, add another 1/2 litre milk and continue to cook.
5. Heat a small quantity of milk in a vessel and add the khoya to it after mashing. Let it boil once. Add this to the kheer and stir well with mathani (a long stirring rod with plates at the end).
6. Mix kesar in small quantity of milk and mix into the kheer, stirring continuously.
7. Once kheer is thick, add the fried dry fruits, sugar and teaspoon of ground elaichi and mix till sugar dissolves.

Please NOTE :

1. Khoya needs to be boiled in small quantity of milk so as to ensure that it isn’t sour. If it is, the milk will split and the rest of the kheer will be safe. In this case you may have to try thickening with malai (cream of milk).
2. The above recipe makes a thick kheer. If you like it thin, please add some more milk towards the end and boil well.