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I grew up with my mom making this tasty traditional Indian cooked carrot dessert. I’ve taken away any refined sweetener or fat other than some (optional but recommended) nuts and the flavor still reminds me of my mom’s!
8 medium carrots, shredded (about 3 cups) (optional) 2 tablespoons slivered almond or 15 cashews roughly chopped to 1⁄4” or
so pieces
6 tablespoons raisins (golden if possible)
1 1⁄2 cups plant milk (if you plan to serve this soon after cooking, use 1 1⁄4 or even a little bit less to avoid it being too liquidy; the additional liquid will keep the halwa from being too dry if you serve it later)
5 cardamom pods, gently crushed so seeds revealed; 20-24 seeds or 3/4 t cardamom powder is a good substitute
(optional) Pinch salt
(optional) 3 tablespoons almond meal – but I don’t find it needs it
3 pitted dates soaked in a cup of warm water for 10m or more
(optional) few saffron threads
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Saute almond or cashew and raisins on low heat till fragrant, maybe a minute or minute and a half
2. Increase heat to medium and add carrot; cook for 3m, stirring occasionally till carrot has darkened a bit and is fragrant
3. Add milk, cardamom, and salt, as well as optional almond meal; simmer on low-medium for 15m
4. In parallel make date paste; blend the dates with a few tablespoons of the soaking liquid, adding more liquid as needed to get the consistency not too thick
5. Add date paste to carrots, mix and continue cooking just another minute or so, then mix in saffron and vanilla
6. Serve warm or chilled; makes 4-5 3⁄4 cup servings. If you plan to serve this soon, let it cool down for at least 10 minutes
