Marcel Proust had his aunt's madeleines. I have my mom's Gajar Halwa. Gajar or carrot halwa is a warm comforting dessert, redolent of my childhood. Lately, I have been missing my mom a lot. The worst part of living away from home is that I do not get to see my family as much as I would like to. Even when I am in Toronto, it is always such a struggle to spend a few peaceful days with my family. I made this halwa, because food has that power of transforming us back to a simpler time, the comfort of our childhood home, and the safe haven of our family. As Proust eloquently points out In Search of Lost Time:
No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory – this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. ... Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it? ... And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it. And all from my cup of tea.
Do not be alarmed by it's exotic name. Gajar Halwa is basically a carrot fudge, which requires two to three hours of cooking time. All of the ingredients I use here are organic.
Ingredients:
1 pound of carrots
2 tablespoons of butter (or coconut oil)
4 crushed cardamom seeds
4 cups or 1 liter of whole milk (using Organic Horizon milk)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of almond meal
1/4 cup of unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/8 cup of crushed walnuts
4-5 strands of saffron
5 golden raisins
1 tablespoon of sliced pistachios for garnish
Step 1: Grate 1 pound of peeled carrots.
Step 3: Add cardamom powder and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add the carrots and saute for a minute. Add the sugar.
Step 5: Add the milk, and bring it to a boil over high heat.
Step 6: Once the milk has come to a boil bring the flame down to medium-low. Add the almond meal.
Step 7: And, coconut.
Step 8: And walnuts.
Step 9: Continue cooking on medium-low heat. Keep scraping the sides of the pot.
Step 10: Add a few strands of saffron.
Step 11: And, raisins.
Step 12: Reduce the milk over medium-low heat. Continue scraping the sides, while ensuring that the halwa does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Step 13: The halwa is ready when it disassociates itself from the pan, and almost turns into a ball.
Step 14: Transfer it into a dish and garnish with pistachios. Once the halwa comes to room temperature turn into squares.
Gajjar Halwa is usually served warm.
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