Gajar Ka Halwa-Microwave method

  















Gaajar Ka Halwa is perhaps one Indian sweet which has always been a constant favourite for many heroes and heroines in the Hindi movies for a long time!!...There would always be a Sharmila tagore or Hema malini waiting with Gajar ka halwa in the movies!!No wonder this Indian sweet is a favourite for many.Needless to mention it was a thumping hit with my Western guests here...It was quite surprising for them to know that a sweet like halwa could be made out of something like carrot, while they have heard only about carrot cake....Lik everybody else I too loved Gajar Halwa /Carrot Halwa but it has always been a real pain making it in the traditional syle with the halwa splurting over my hand and face on many occasions.While everybody enjoyed the dish I sat nursing my hand,giving the look of a martyr to everybody!!....I wanted to avoid the trouble of stirring it constantly...so have started doing it in the microwave.Here's how I did it:


Ingredients

Carrot-250g-grated(I did not have the patience to grate,so put it in a blender and ground it very roughly)
Sweetened Condensed Milk-400ml(If you have 'Khova' you could add it instead of the condensed milk,but increase the quantity of milk proportionately)
Milk-1/4 cup
Sugar-6tbsp(If the condensed milk is not sweetened)
Cardamom powder-1 tsp
Cinnamon-1 inch piece broken into pieces(optional)
Raisins-25g
Cashew nut-25g
Clarified Butter/Ghee-50g


Method:

Heat butter/ghee in a wok.Add raisins and cashewnuts.Saute them for a minute, till they are golden.Remove it from the ghee and keep it separate. In the same ghee, add the carrot and saute the carrot for nearly 5 minutes, till they become soft and are cooked partially. Take a deep bottomedmicrowaveable vessel(should be deep bottomed or else the whole halwa may spill over, and do not close it as well.Add the sauted carrot(along with the ghee running out),condensed milk,cardamom powder,a small piece of cinnamon and the milk to it(add sugar if the condensed milk is not sweetened).Mix well.Cook it in the microwave at high for nearly 20minutes.(Time may vary depending upon u'r gadget specifications-so you may cook it till all the water evaporates and the required consistency is achieved).Remove it from the oven and garnish it with the roasted raisins and cashews.Serve hot or cold as you would like it!

Method