Gajar ka Halwa or carrot halwa

I hope you all had a wonderful Diwali. Any festival is incomplete without desserts. This time I couldn’t make much savories. But I made Gajar ka Halwa and Phirni.

You need,
Red/Orange carrots – 5 to 6 nos
Milk – 1.5 cups
Sweetened condensed milk – 1/2 tin
Ghee – 1 tbps + 1 tsp
Saffron strands – 4-5
Pistachios – 2 tbsp blanched and chopped

You have to,
1. Wash, skin and grate the carrots and keep aside

2. Heat a bottom thick sauce pan in medium flame.
2. Add 1 tbsp ghee followed grated carrots. Saute well for 2 minutes
3. Now add milk and allow the carrot to cook till the mixture thickens and the milk dries up. 10-15 minutes). ( Make sure to keep stirring in between so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom and burn)
4. Add the condensed milk and mix well. Allow to cook for another 2-3 mins. (You can adjust the amount of condensed milk to your sweetness level).
5. Add the last spoon of ghee and saffron strand and stir well.
6. Remove from fire and add the chopped pistachios

To blanch Pistachios
1. Take a cup of water and add 2 tbsp shelled pistachios
2. Now boil this for 2 minutes
3. Strain and run over cold runny water
4. Remove the skin (You can just rub them with your finger to remove the skin. It comes out easily)

Notes :
1. You can add cashew nuts instead of pistachios.
2. You can replace condensed milk with sugar.
3. You could use crushed cardamoms instead of saffron or you can use both