ShuddhGaon

Gajar ka halwa with jaggery, cooked the slow way

गाजर का हलवा

Red winter carrots cooked down in milk, fried in ghee and sweetened with gur at the very end. A deeper colour, a caramel edge and no curdling.

A brass bowl of deep red gajar ka halwa topped with pistachios, with fresh red carrots and a bowl of jaggery powder beside it
Representative image of the dish.

Winter · Prep 20 min · Cook 1 hr · Total 1 hr 20 min · Makes 6 servings · North Indian dessert

The red carrots arrive in north Indian markets about the same week the kolhus start running, which is reason enough to put the two together. Gajar ka halwa made with gur is darker than the one made with sugar, closer to brick red, and it carries a caramel note that makes the white-sugar version taste a little flat afterwards.

It takes an hour and it cannot be hurried. Most of that hour is carrots and milk, and you only have to stir.

The gur goes in last

Jaggery added while there is still milk in the kadhai will split it, and the halwa turns grainy. So the order matters more than anything else here: milk until it is gone, then ghee, then gur.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Red winter carrots
  • 3 cups (750 ml) Full-cream milk
  • 4 tbsp Ghee
  • 1 cup (about 200 g) ShuddhGaon jaggery powder
  • 6, powdered Green cardamom
  • 3 tbsp Cashews and almonds, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Raisins
  • ½ cup Khoya (mawa), crumbled

Method

  1. Cook the carrots in the milk Put the grated carrots and the milk in a heavy kadhai on a medium flame. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until every drop of milk has been absorbed and the carrots are soft.
  2. Fry them in ghee Add the ghee and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the carrots turn glossy and a shade darker and the kitchen smells sweet.
  3. Add the jaggery Lower the flame and add the jaggery powder. The halwa will loosen as the gur melts. Keep stirring.
  4. Cook it back down Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the halwa thickens again and pulls away from the sides of the kadhai in one mass.
  5. Finish Stir in the cardamom and the khoya if you are using it. Fry the nuts and raisins in a teaspoon of ghee and fold them in.
  6. Serve hot Gajar ka halwa is at its best straight from the kadhai. It keeps for three or four days in the fridge; warm it with a teaspoon of ghee.

With our jaggery

Powder melts into the carrots evenly in under a minute. A block has to be grated first, or it leaves hard pieces that take an age to dissolve. Gur gives a deeper colour than sugar does, and because ours is unbleached, a darker pack gives a darker halwa. If you want it sweeter, add more gur a spoon at a time at the end: it is easier to add than to take away.

Tips from our kitchen

  • Use red carrots The long red winter carrots are sweeter and juicier than the orange ones. With orange carrots, cook them a little longer and expect to need the full cup of gur.
  • No khoya in the house Leave it out. Three cups of milk cooked all the way down make their own.
  • Do not cover the kadhai The milk has to evaporate. A lid traps the steam and adds twenty minutes.

Questions people ask

Can I use jaggery instead of sugar in gajar ka halwa?
Yes, in the same quantity. Add it only after all the milk has been absorbed and the carrots have been fried in ghee, so the milk does not split.
How much jaggery for 1 kg of carrots?
One cup of jaggery powder, about 200 g. Use ¾ cup, about 150 g, if the carrots are very sweet or you prefer a less sweet halwa.
Why did my gajar ka halwa turn grainy with jaggery?
The gur went in while there was still liquid milk in the pan, and the milk split. Next time cook the milk away completely first.

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