Wintry treat - Gajar ka Halwa

According to the Hindu calendar we are in Basant Ritu (spring season). Basant panchami which falls in the first week of February heralds the onset of spring and the end of winters, which would translate in to an amiable weather. The weather in Delhi though has been anything but pleasant, there has been no let up in the cold and one is definitely missing the sunny days that one is used to.

All the same winter is almost on its last legs and so are the winter vegetables which we have been enjoying for the past few months. The vegetable market is still flooded with winter greens- spinach, fenugreek, coriander and juicy carrots, peas, cauliflower but gradually they will start losing flavor and will taste off seasonish. I decided to make all the winter specials that we enjoy before they run out.

On my last trip to the vegetable market I bought a bagful of carrots ostensibly for juice but somewhere  there was a thought that one of the days when I am less busy I would get around to making 'gajar ka halwa'.

In every day cooking I don't stress too much on perfection but for special things avoid taking short cuts and so though this halwa is very labor intensive and took a whole lot of time  but all the effort was so worth it. The slow cooking process works well as then it does not require constant monitoring and you can multitask whilst standing in the kitchen.

It might be immodest of me to say so but it tastes fabulous and if any of you are craving a good desi sweet then do drop in for some homemade treat.

The recipe below would make 'gajar ka halwa' - better than any halwai - try it and you would stop eating the halwai's typical ' khoya' ka halwa.

Happy binging - warning ... don't blame me for losing the battle of bulge!!!

Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Fudge)

1 kg carrot

2 litres whole milk

8 tablespoon desi ghee (clarified butter)

300 gms castor sugar

1 teaspoon cardamom powder

A handful of fried cashewnuts

Peel the carrots, wash them well and then grate them. Take a heavy bottomed wok, (kadhai) add the grated carrots and 5 tablespoons of ghee and sauté the carrots on medium heat till all the water dries up and the carrots take on a darker hue. Now add the milk in it and mix it well. Let the mixture simmer on low heat till the milk is almost dried up. Keep stirring the milk and carrot mixture frequently in between when it is cooking otherwise it might stick to the pan.

Once the milk gets absorbed add the sugar, increase the heat, stirring continuously. When the halwa starts coming together add 3 tablespoons of ghee and stir the halwa till it starts leaving ghee on its sides. Switch off the burner and add the cardamom powder. Serve hot garnished with the fried cashew pieces.