Carrot Pudding (Gajjar Halwa)

The tradition in my family growing up was to make something sweet when it was a special occasion. That could be either a birthday or even independence day! It was a good excuse, I mean a good reason to eat dessert! I think my Dad grew up eating halwa for ‘special occasions’. The definition of halwa is a dessert with the consistency of a very thick pudding. There are different varieties of halwa made in India- carrot, almond, etc. It is also made out of certain lentils which is delicious.
I happen to have an extra packet of shredded carrots in my fridge that I needed to use up. I thought of making carrot halwa(pudding) with it. I decided to call my Mom to get her recipe and ask her how to make it simpler since it can be very labor intensive. I thought the day was very appropriate since it was my daughter’s birthday – perfect occasion, definitely according to my Dad!
This version is quite easy to make. I am sure the purist won’t be too happy with the simplicity but I think it works. I had a neighbor over for dinner and had her try it. She gave it a thumbs up!

• 10 ounces shredded carrots
• ½ cup milk (low fat or full fat is fine)
• 3 cardamoms, crushed
• ¼ cup+2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• 1 tablespoon ghee (butter or oil is fine)
• 2 tablespoons fresh ricotta (packaged is fine)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Place the carrots in a medium bowl and microwave for 7-8 minutes. In a large non-stick frying pan add the carrots, milk and cardamom. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium for about 20 minutes, enough to evaporate the milk and soften the carrots. Next add the sugar, stir well. Add the ghee or butter. Saute on medium low heat for 5 minutes. Next add the ricotta, raisins and almonds.