Gajar Ka Halwa
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| Alternative names | Gajar halva, Punjab gajrela, Punjabi carrot pudding, carrot halwa |
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| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | North India, Pakistan |
| Region or state | Indian subcontinent; associated with Punjab, India, Haryana, India, Uttar Pradesh, India, Delhi, India and Punjab, Pakistan |
| Serving temperature | Hot or cold |
| Main ingredients | Carrots, milk, water, ghee, sugar |
| Variations | Red velvet halwa, carrot and beetroot halwa, cheesy carrot halwa |
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Gajar ka halwa (Hindi: गाजर का हलवा, Urdu / Punjabi: گاجر کا حلوە), also known as gajrela, is a sweet dessert pudding originating from the Indian subcontinent, associated mainly with the North India and Pakistan. It is made by placing grated carrot in a pot containing a specific amount of water, milk and sugar and then cooking while stirring regularly. It is often served with a garnish of almonds and pistachios. The nuts and other items used are first sautéed in ghee, a South Asian clarified butter.
The dessert is favorite all over Northern India and Pakistan. It is traditionally eaten during all of the festivals in India, mainly on the occasion of Diwali, Holi, Eid al-Fitr and Raksha Bandhan. It is served hot during the winter.
Nowadays, gajar ka halwa is a popular worldwide dessert with many variations such as red velvet halwa, carrot and beetroot halwa, and cheesy carrot halwa.
Gajar ka halwa is a combination of nuts, milk, sugar, khoya and ghee with grated carrot. It is a light nutritious dessert with less fat (a minimum of 10.03% and an average of 12.19%) than many other typical South Asian desserts. Gajar halwa has a medium shelf life so it is now sometimes exported.
At festival time many people prefer vegetarian dishes as well as desserts in their Thali. Because of its low fat content, vegetarian characteristics, ease of making, medium shelf-life and taste Gajar ka halwa is a popular dessert all over India and often served at most festivals. The dish is popular among adults as well as children. In 300 grams of gajar halwa there are 268 calories (76 come from fat, 180 from carbohydrate and 16 from protein).
The gajar ka halwa was first introduced during the Mughal period and the name originates from the Arabic word "halwa", which means "sweet" and it is made from carrot (in Hindi: gajar) so that it is known as gajar ka halwa (meaning pudding of carrot or Halwa of carrot). It is strongly associated with Punjab but it is not clear whether it originated there. It is very similar to the other types of Punjabi halwa. Gajar ka halwa originally contained carrots, milk and ghee but nowadays includes many other ingredients like mava (khoya). This age old traditional recipe remained in Punjabi cookbooks for many years. Being a combination of milk and carrots it is known as milk flavored gajar ka halwa but in the other case, the combination of cream or mava (khoya) and carrot is described as mava flavored gajar ka halwa.
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