Carrot Sweet Rice Cake (Gajar Halwa)

Ingredients

• Carrots (Red carrots are recommended)
• Whole Milk
• Sugar
• Ghee (Ghee)— Can substitute with Butter
• Cardamom Powder
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Raisins
• Grater
• Thick-bottomed pot

Steps

1. Peel the carrots and grate them finely using a grater.
2. Heat 20g of ghee (half the amount) in a thick-bottomed pot over medium heat until melted.
3. Add the grated carrots and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes until the carrots are soft and have released their aroma.
4. Pour in 500ml of whole milk and mix well.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and maintain a gentle simmer.
6. Stir continuously for 25-30 minutes until the milk has been nearly completely absorbed and evaporated by the carrots (This is the most critical step; patience and constant stirring are required to prevent the bottom from scorching).
7. When there is almost no liquid left in the pot, add 80g of sugar and mix well.
8. The mixture will release water again after adding sugar; continue stir-frying over medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes until the water evaporates again.
9. Add the remaining 20g of ghee and 3g of cardamom powder, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
10. In another small pot, fry cashews, sliced almonds, and raisins separately in a small amount of ghee until they turn golden brown (about 1 minute). Note that the raisins will puff up.
11. Stir half of the fried nuts and raisins into the carrot sweet rice cake.
12. Serve in a serving dish and sprinkle the remaining nuts and raisins on top as a garnish.