North Indian Carrot Halava.
Kurma dasa: Since so many have asked, here is my recipe for carrot halava. It is not the usual milky version. I like this one better because the taste of the carrots comes through.
Unlike the Middle Eastern sesame based halva, Indian halavas are more like fluffy puddings, and can be made with grains, vegetables, fruits, seeds or legumes. In my ultra-simple version of the famous North Indian dish, fresh sweet carrots are shredded and cooked with ghee or butter and sweet spices, then folded with dried fruit and nuts to form an aromatic dense pudding. Carrot halava is delicious, and ideal when you want to prepare something a little different. Serves 4 – 6 persons.
2/3 cup unsalted butter, or ghee, about 140g
900g (almost 2 pounds) carrots, trimmed, peeled and coarsely shredded (weighed after trimming and peeling)
1 teaspoon powdered cardamom seeds
¾ cup raw sugar
¼ cup sultanas
½ cup toasted almond slivers, pistachios or cashews
Light cream to serve
Melt the butter or ghee in a large non-stick saucepan over low heat.
Add the shredded carrots, increase the heat to moderate and, stirring frequently, cook the carrots and butter together for 30 minutes, or until the carrots are very reduced, dry and completely soft.
Add the powdered cardamom, sugar, and sultanas, and stirring steadily to prevent scorching, cook for about 10–12 minutes, or until the orange coloured ghee oozes out of the pudding, and the mixture is again nearly dry. Remove the carrot halava from the heat, fold in the nuts and serve hot or warm.