Gajar ka Halwa

December, and the short deep-red Delhi carrots are in the market at last. They are sweeter and less watery than the orange ones and every North Indian kitchen knows it. The grated carrot goes into the kadhai and darkens, the milk goes in and bubbles away for the better part of an hour, and someone scrapes the base every few minutes. Slowly the milk disappears into the carrot. People eat this standing at the stove, out of the kadhai, before it ever reaches a bowl.

Gir Cow's A2 Ghee is what gives this halwa its shine and its smell. Churned the bilona way, it goes in after the milk has gone, fries the carrot a little further and pools at the edges, and you can see the gloss from across the room. Organic Jaggery sweetens it with a soft earthy caramel instead of the flat sweetness of white sugar, and against a sweet winter carrot that is exactly right.

The one rule: jaggery and loose milk do not get along. Reduce the milk completely, until the pan looks almost dry and the mixture holds together, and only then turn the flame to its lowest and stir the jaggery in. Add it while there is still free milk in the pan and the whole thing curdles in seconds.

How to make it

1. Grate the carrots on the medium side of a box grater, not the finest one. Fine shreds turn to mush and you lose the strands that make halwa look like halwa.
2. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy kadhai. Fry the almonds, cashews and raisins for a minute, till the nuts turn pale gold and the raisins puff up. Lift them out and keep aside.
3. Add the grated carrot to the same kadhai and cook on medium for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, till the raw smell goes and the carrot darkens and shrinks by about a third.
4. Pour in the milk. Bring it to a boil, then keep it on medium and let it bubble for 40 to 45 minutes. Stir every 3 or 4 minutes, scraping the base each time. The milk will reduce, thicken and finally almost disappear into the carrot.
5. When the pan looks nearly dry and the mixture holds together, add the remaining 3 tbsp ghee. Cook for 5 minutes more, stirring, till the halwa starts to gather in the centre and the ghee shows at the edges.
6. Lower the flame to its smallest setting. Now add the jaggery. Stir constantly for 4 to 5 minutes. The jaggery melts, the halwa loosens and goes slightly runny, then tightens again. That is exactly what should happen.
7. Stir in the khoya, cardamom powder and the saffron milk. Cook 4 to 5 minutes more till the khoya melts in and the halwa turns glossy and pulls away from the sides of the kadhai.
8. Mix back most of the fried nuts and raisins. Switch off the flame and let it stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm, topped with the pistachios and the rest of the nuts.

Tips

• Storage: cool it fully, then keep it in an airtight box in the fridge for up to 6 days. Reheat in a pan with a teaspoon of ghee, never in a dry microwave, which makes it rubbery.
• Make ahead: grate the carrots and reduce the milk a day before. Finish with ghee, jaggery and khoya on the day itself, it takes 15 minutes.
• No red Delhi carrots? Ordinary orange carrots work, but they hold more water and less sweetness, so cook 10 minutes longer and add 20 g extra jaggery.
• If the milk does split when the jaggery goes in, do not throw it away. Keep the flame very low and keep stirring for 5 minutes. It usually comes back together as the moisture cooks off.
• Sources differ on when to add jaggery, and some add it with the milk. A North Indian home cook adds it right at the end, on a low flame, and that is the version that never fails.