Gajrela aka Gajar Halwa.

To celebrate the birth of Jesus, I had to do something, so to welcome him and also to welcome someone missed in the house for the last two weeks, I decided to make gajrela aka gajar halwa. I think this is the simplest of the sweet dishes with minimum ingredients (you may go overboard to add some more). So this is how I proceeded. I have been using this recipe once in a while since the last 40+ years. What is more important is the labour, you need to be at it without missing a beat for nearly two hours.. stirring the mixture.

Ingredients: 

800 gms - gajar (red carrot only, not the orange one)

800ml - milk,

200 gms - powdered gur

1 tsp - pure ghee

taste enhancing ingredients:

20 gms -pista(pistachio)

20 gms - kaju (cashew)

20 gms - badam (almond)

20 gms - khajur/dates (8 small dates)

10 gms - makhana (fox nuts) 

10 small size elaichi( cardamom)

Usual recipes don't have dates or makhana and the sweetener is white sugar instead of powdered gur/jaggery.

Preparation:

Lightly roast badam, kaju, makhana and coarse grind them separately in a khalbatta/stone mortar. also grind the elaichi seeds. Remove the date seeds and cut it in small pieces.

Take a deep frying pan (kadhai) and put it in a stove over low flame. add 1 tsp desi ghee and spread it. Add milk and let it come to boil. Add grated gajar (red carrot) and slowly stir the mixtures (ensure that the flame is low). Keep stirring continuously till the mixture becomes thicker and milk disappears, but it is still liquidy. This will take about an hour. Add powdered gur slowly and keep stirring so that it gets mixed uniformly. When the mixture gets a little thicker add the dry fruits.. first the dates and after about 5 minutes all other nuts.. save elaichi...keep stirring till all the liquid disappears from the mixture and halwa is ready.. sprinkle elaichi powder and mix it. 

You have to constantly stir the mixture and never let it stick to the kadhai surface. The whole process will take about 1 1/2 hours on the stove. Now switch off the flame and cover the halwa for another 5-10 mins. Your halwa is ready to be served.

Christmas, 2025.