I’ve been teaching culinary arts at a local college for almost 9 years. Each year a few enterprising students will look at leftover ingredients and challenge me to help them find a creative way to use them. It just so happens that in a culinary school there is never a shortage of carrots.
In fact, one day my class had 20 pounds of carrots left over! We made carrot cake, carrot muffins, roasted carrots, carrot purée, carrot tournée … we were practically turning orange. Researching more ways to use up all the carrots, I stumbled upon an Indian dessert called carrot halwa – a lightly spiced and sweetened carrot pudding made with milk and sugar. The recipe was so simple I almost ignored it, but I enjoy warm Indian flavors and decided to give it a try.
To my surprise this dessert was amazing, and over the years it has become a personal favorite. I’m thrilled to share this recipe and hope you find the simplicity and uniqueness of it as enjoyable as I do.
Carrot Halwa Recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 cup carrot, raw, grated
2 cup milk, cow’s, 1%
1 tbsp butter, regular, unsalted
¼ cup granulated sugar
⅛ tsp cardamom, ground
¼ cup mixed nuts, deluxe, roasted, unsalted
¼ cup California golden raisins
Directions
1. Peel and grate carrots; using large grater eye.
2. Use a heavy sauce pot. Sautoir preferred – the wide bottom lets a single thin layer of carrots cook more evenly and the milk evaporate quicker.
3. Combine butter, carrots and milk into pan. Bring to simmer.
4. Stirring frequently to prevent sticking or burning simmer the carrot mixture until milk is 80-90% reduced.
5. Add in sugar, spices, and half of the raisins. Stir well.
6. Continue to simmer until milk is completely gone and the sugar milk reduction begins to leave thin gooey streaks on the bottom of the pan.
7. Serve warm or chilled. Garnish with crushed roasted nuts and extra raisins.
Nutrient Analysis
Calories: 111, Protein: 3.01g, Carbs: 16.53g, Total Fat: 4.07g
Sat Fat: 1.64g, Cholesterol: 7.50g, Sodium: 51.48mg, Fiber: 1.28g
Photo Credit: Andrew Dole
