Gajjah Ki Halwa

Ingredients:

600g carrots, peel and grate coarsely
3 cups (750ml) fresh milk
450g granulated sugar
2 tsp rose water
3 tbsp ghee
60g almonds, scald, remove skin and chop
120g sultanas
120g cashew nuts, cut each in half and fry in 2 tbsp ghee till golden brown
10 cardamoms, slit pods, remove seeds and discard pods


Method:

• Put grated carrots and milk in a large, heavy saucepan and cook over high heat.
• When liquid is reduced by half, add sugar, ghee and rose water, and continue cooking stirring now and then. When sugar has dissolved, lower heat, add almonds and cook for about 5 minutes. Add sultanas and continue to cook, stirring frequently.
• When almost dry, add cashew nuts. When the mixture is dry and leaves the sides of the pan, remove from heat and sprinkle with cardamom seeds.
• Spread mixture in a sandwich tin or cake tray and allow to cool, then cut into square or diamond shapes.
• Alternatively, put a tablespoonful of mixture in the centre of a rectangular piece of cellaphane paper, decorate with a cherry and almond slivers and wrap into a neat package. Repeat till all the mixture is used.