Gajar (Carrot) Halwa

The title makes me goto the shivers of the winters & the colourful market place where I would accompany my mom & see those red carrots which you get in the north. The carrots look so full of life that sometimes I am so astonished by the nature.

I remember my mom making gajar halwa(authentic one without condesnsed milk) and I gulping each & every bite of it. As a house hold lover of sweets we relish each & every sweet we buy or make. Also remember how our granny used to be after us not to eat too much & she used to hide the sweets in some place. We could not resist and would try to find it in the afternoon time when everyone was having a nap & try to finish some for sure without knowing.

The place where we stay "Jalgaon" is a very good place for sweets & we surely miss the pure ghee & milk sweets from there.

The story related to sweets is very long with people of sweet tooth like us.

"Carrot Halwa"


1.5 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)**regular butter may work too
Grated carrot 2 cups
whole milk 1/2 cup
half cup sugar
depending on taste3 shelled green cardamoms powdered
1/4 cup cashews (or almonds) and golden raisins
nutmeg powder optional





1. Melt the ghee, fry the raisins first until they puff up, take them out. Fry the nuts until golden and take them out.

2. Add the carrots to the same ghee and fry until dryish. Frying the carrots adds a nice texture to it (This can also be done in the microwave)


3. Meanwhile, add 1/2 cup of milk to the carrots & allow it to boil, you can also pressure cook the same for 2 whistles. Do not use more than 1/2 cup liquid since it becomes watery if you pressure cook.

4. Add the condensed milk, sugar(if needed, definetly you need it since the condesnsed milk sweetness is not enough) to the carrots and cook down until really thick and it begins to come off the sides.To aid thickening, you can add the nutmeg (jathikkai in tamil) powder. This is optional, but the nutmeg powder makes it creamier and enhances the flavour.

Believe me it smells heavenly!!!

5. The carrots should have texture in the end, and they should not be too ‘milky’. So cook them for 10-12 minutes, max on medium-high heat. (This too can be done in an uncovered container in the microwave, stirring every couple of minutes.)

6. Once its quite thick add the powdered cardamoms, cashews and raisins. Stir and serve warm.


Note :- Consistency is very important, be carerful with the milk you put & the time you need to keep in the heat. Also nutmeg make the dish smell totally different.

I dont get those wonderful red carrots in Singapore, but surely the orange ones dont taste less bad, finally its the color & taste which if you want can add in some red color or kesari powder to it at the end.