Halva recipe (carrot and cardamom pudding)

Details

• Cuisine: Indian
• Recipe Type: Dessert
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Step-by-step

1. Melt the ghee in large thick-based pan over a high heat, then stir in the carrots. Fry for a minute on high, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Increase the heat to high again and fry for another 4-5 minutes, until the majority of the liquid from the carrots has evaporated. Constant stirring and varying the temperature during frying both help to speed up the process of cooking off the carrot juice.
2. While the carrots are frying, bring the milk to the boil in a small pan. Once the liquid from the carrots has evaporated, pour in the boiling milk and cook over a high heat for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Stir in the sugar and cook for a further 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure the mixture doesn't stick or burn. Add the milk powder and cardamom and keep stirring and cooking for another 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
3. Leave to rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to intensify, then gently reheat before serving. The temperature at which you serve the halva is a matter of taste - some like it piping hot, while I prefer it slightly warm and accompanied by a scoop or two of good soft vanilla ice cream.
4. You can serve gajar halva in a large bowl, garnished with chopped pistachios if you fancy them (the colour contrast between the green nuts and orange halva is lovely). Alternatively you can form it into little domes as I do, pressing a sixth of the mixture at a time into a small bowl or teacup to mould it into shape, then tipping on to individual serving plates. Sprinkle the tops with chopped pistachios - or, for a real flourish, a twist or two of gold leaf!