The Melting Teapot

I was on the phone with my mom a few days ago, and she was excited about a new dessert she’d just tried: a carrot pudding at an Indian lunch buffet. I’ve been to many Indian restaurants but had never had this before.  Her description made me curious, so I did a bit of quick online research to find out more.

Gajar Halva (or Gajar Halwa) is not what I usually think of as a halva. It is not dense, there is no flour or sesame paste base.  Instead, this is a warm and thick pudding, a smooth and fragrant end to a meal.

Shredded carrots are simmered in cream, milk, or coconut milk. After the liquid is absorbed and the carrots soften up, dried fruits and nuts are added, along with cardamom and sugar.  Some recipes are more complicated than others, using clarified butter and starting with fresh cardamom.  Others are easy, with just a few basic ingredients being warmed in a pan.

Because this was an unfamiliar food to me, I decided to try a simpler recipe for my first attempt:  Gajar Halva Carrot Pudding, an Indian Dessert (posted on recipezaar).  There are really only two basic steps:

1. You begin by simmering grated carrots in half & half.

2. After about 40 minutes, the cream is absorbed and you add brown sugar, raisins, and butter. Stir this in well and simmer for another 15 minutes.

What we ended up with was a bowl of a sweet, smooth, fragrant, satisfying, comfort food.  The consistency is almost like oatmeal or porridge, but it is lighter and fluffier in texture.  There is a nice contrast between the natural sweetness of the carrots and the caramel notes from the brown sugar.  We sprinkled chopped pistachios on top of our bowls, then dug in!

There are a few youtube videos of Indian cooks making this dessert, each with their own takes on the recipe.  Most of them seem to use a saute pan instead of a sauce pan, and they start by simmering the carrots in butter or ghee.  I think that is probably a better way of infusing the butter into the carrots.  Next time around, I’d also like to amp up the exotic fragrance a bit more, perhaps by starting with cardamom pods instead of the powdered spice.  At the very least, I'll head over to one of the nearby Indian groceries to pick up a better cardamom spice than the old bottle that's been sitting in my racks for a few years. 

Here is one of the videos I found on youtube, Carrot Halwa by vahchef.  I suggest forwarding from the 30 second to 1:30 point (he's sidetracked by something else that can be found on his web site).

If anyone out there has suggestions or tips, please post them for me.  I'll definitely be trying this again soon.  I'm already craving another bowl!