Frank and I first had carrot halva as part of an Indian buffet, and we immediately knew we had found nirvana. Who knew such a simple dessert—made with carrots!—even existed! That was over two years ago, and it’s still one of our favorites.
Last year, Frank and I took a road trip, and we ate at Indian restaurants in whatever city we landed in. In Salt Lake City, we stopped at a restaurant called “Bombay House” I believe. There wasn’t carrot halva on the menu, but I asked our waiter if they had it anyway. He said that YES! they did have it, but they usually only made it for the local Indian families. He said he’d check to see if they had any left. I felt so special and authentic ordering off-menu! ;)
Carrot Halva at Bombay House
To make carrot halva, you need a few simple ingredients:
- – Around 2 lbs. of carrots, grated
- – 3-4 cups of raw milk
- – 1/2 cup super fine organic sugar OR 1/3 cup raw honey (buy here)
- – 2/3 cup golden raisins (buy here)
- – 2-3 TBSP grassfed butter or ghee (buy here)
- – 1/2 cup chopped almonds (buy here)
- – 1 tsp ground cardamom (buy here)
First, put the grated carrots and the milk into a large saucepan over low heat and bring to a simmer.
Cook, stirring until the carrot is tender and the milk evaporates. Be patient and keep the heat low or the mixture will burn. :)
Once all the milk has evaporated, add the butter and brown the carrot.
Next, add the sugar or honey, as well as the golden raisins. Cook until the mixture is thick and dry.
Lastly, add the cardamom and almonds. Stir well, and serve in small bowls.
I think it’s absolutely lovely served with a bit of homemade cream. Mmmmm… I hope you try this delicious dessert this fall. ^_^
This post is linked to Sunday School, Fill Those Jars Friday, and Foodie Friday.
Hi..
I love your site!!
I’m Indian and my mum makes this halva with a little bit of beetroot with the carrots..gives a nice color to it too.
Is this dessert meant to be chilled, or is it best served at room temp?
I prefer it warm.
This sounds so wonderful. My first experience with Indian food was the Bombay House in Provo, UT and at a Hare Krishna festival in American Fork, UT. The Bombay House is the restaurant I judge all Indian restaurants by now. I adore cardamom. This sounds so yum.
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hello.
this recipe looks awesome!!! thanks for sharing!!!!!
however i have 2 questions please…
around how many carrots is 2 lbs?
can i use regular white sugar or demerara sugar?
many thanks!!!!!
How much does this yield? And is that 3/4 cup of milk or 3 to 4 cups of milk?
3-4 means 3 to 4
Does it have to be raw milk? What about 2% organic milk?
No, it doesn’t have to be raw. But if you can find it, I recommend 100% Grass fed milk as a second choice. Organic Valley sells “Grassmilk” at Whole Foods.
Hi,
I have a question.. Does the vitamin A in carrots last after the prolonged cooking with the milk ?
Boiled vegetables lose some nutrients, but retain many. This is the case with boiled versus raw carrots. A cup of boiled carrots has two fewer grams of vitamin C than a cup of raw carrots, and two less micrograms of folate. Boiled and raw carrots have about the same concentrations of the B vitamins, although a cup of cooked carrots has 1 milligram of niacin, and the raw carrots have 1.3 milligrams. Boiled and raw carrots both contain substantial amounts of vitamin A. One cup of raw carrots has 1,069 micrograms, and cooked carrots have 1,329 micrograms. The average adult needs between 700 to 900 micrograms each day. Boiled carrots have 1,072 micrograms of lutein, and raw carrots have just 328 micrograms.
So is it very sweet, or what? how does it taste? :)
It’s just the right amount of sweet. Have you ever had cardamom before? If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat! It’s a wonderful spice to add to desserts. It’s fragrant and flavorful.
Oh! And the raisins and almonds add such nice texture! The raisins plump back up and absorb some of the moisture, so they give a pleasant *pop* in your mouth, and the almonds give it a bit of crunch. Not much. But sort of how the crust of an apple pie has a bit of that crumble texture…
I went to an Indian restaurant about 2 years ago and fell in love with this stuff!!! Unfortunately, I never wrote down what it was and, thanks to this post, I now know what it is and I can’t wait to make it YAY!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!
Aw! Yay! That makes me so happy!