Kaddu ka halwa or Pumpkin halwa is a sweet Indian pudding made by cooking pumpkin in milk and ghee. In previous posts, I have posted recipes for Carrot/gaajar ka Halwa, Atte ka halwa (whole wheat flour halwa) and semolina/suji ka halwa. This recipe is similar to the carrot halwa. Traditionally halwa uses khoya and that’s what I have used in this recipe. While people are wary of using store bought khoya because of adulteration, at my parents’ home the local milk man gives us homemade Khoya. Khoya is made with milk that is cooked down so that most of the moisture is evaporated, lending dishes that use khoya an added texture and richness. If you do not have access to khoya, just increase the amount of milk used. In my carrot halwa recipe, there is no khoya and you can get almost similar results without khoya. The cooking time does increase though. I have also seen people use almond meal instead of Khoya, which helps thickening the halwa, and giving it an added richness. Read More →
Gajar ka halwa / gajrela or Carrot halwa is an indian dessert made from cooking carrots in milk, ghee, and sugar.
Edited December 2020, to add:
Come winters and the Delhi vegetable markets are full with the red carrots that are perfect to make gajar ka halwa or gajrela. Since the first time I made this gajar ka halwa, I have made a few recipe changes. I no longer use sugar, though that is the traditional way to go. Instead I use condensed milk. By using condensed milk, cooking the bhunoed carrots in the condensed milk helps me achieve that khoya like taste in the halwa. Slow cooking is the key for gajar ka halwa, and so is cooking the halwa well. Making gajar ka halwa is time consuming but thats when you get the nice caramelization in the carrots and maximum flavor.
Original Post from November 2012:
When Christianna had taken me into the Recipe Swap group (read more about the group here), one of the things she said in our initial correspondence was that she was excited to get an Indian perspective for the swap recipes. While all my swaps have not been with an Indian twist, I thought with the Indian festival season here, I would give this time’s recipe swap an Indian twist.
When I saw the swap recipe (for a carrot pie), my initial plan was to make this carrot souffle I saw in a magazine I had just bought. But then I am not much of a fan of pureed carrots. It reminds me of baby food, and even though the recipe sounded interesting, I wasn’t sure I would truly enjoy it.
So I thought of making something Indian. Now, I am not a big fan of Indian sweets. I like them but most of them I find too sweet. If I want something sweet I generally prefer a baked good over the traditional sweets. Though I don’t mind a piece of gulab jamun, or hot atte ka halwa now and then. And sometimes gajar ka halwa too makes the privileged list.
Gajar ka halwa (or Indian carrot pudding) is a dessert of creamy, thickened milk with softened carrots contrasting with the added crunch of nuts. Milk and grated carrots are cooked until they become a dryish homogeneous mass, and then cooked with a little clarified butter (or ghee) and sugar and subtly flavored with cardamom powder and sometimes saffron strands to make absolute deliciousness.