Carrot Halwa or as more authentically called Gajjar Halwa needs no introduction; it is something I, my parents, my grandparents and few more generations before them have grew up eating. And it will need no introduction to generations to come as well.
It’s straight forward recipe with simple and easily available ingredients. But as any Indian dessert goes, it takes it good time in cooking; it requires an old school PATIENCE!! WEELLLLL! That might not be not true in a world of Instant Pot. Some might argue that pressure cooker have been in kitchens since some time, what so special about instant pot? The answer is simple! Accuracy! You put same amount of ingredients and pressure cook for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot, it will come out the same every time!! That’s the beauty of an Instant Pot.
(Took a little Instant Pot detour) Coming back to the world of Gajjar Halwa, here is my recipe for instant pot. I am big fan of condense milk when it comes to milk base desserts, in addition to the sweetness it also make the dish more creamier. I have also added almond flour for the grainy texture and nutty flavor.
The general consensus is to have this halwa warm but I like it straight out of fridge; like having a carrot fudge. Yum!
Happy Cooking!
Gajjar Halwa
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots trimmed and peeled
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1/2 cup dry fruits of your choice I used almonds, cashews and raisins
- 4 green cardamom
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup condense milk
- 8-10 strands of saffron
- 2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup almond flour
Instructions
- Shred the carrots using a grater or food processor and keep them aside.
- Turn on the instant pot on sauté setting; once the pot is warm add 2 tbsp ghee.
- Once the ghee is melted as the dry fruits and green cardamoms and sauté them until light brown.
- Add shredded carrots to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the milk, condense milk and saffron.
- Close the lid of the instant pot, set the pressure release to sealing and change the setting to pressure cook timed for 30 minutes on high pressure.
- Allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, then quick release by moving the pressure release to venting.
- Change the setting to sauté; add 1 tbsp ghee, sugar, almond flour and cardamom powder. Mix everything together and stir occasionally until most of the moisture has evaporated and the carrots start sticking to the bottom, around ~10 minutes.
- Transfer the halwa into a heat safe bowl, garnish with chopped dry fruits and dried rose petals.
- Serve warm!
