Carrot Halwa ~ A popular winter dessert

My appa is here with us for a short stay, from Gurgaon. Among the list of items to be sent through Appa, I asked Amma to send some carrots too. Yes the red, juicy Delhi carrots. Those variety is hard to get in my place. You guessed it right, I wanted to make carrot halwa. Its long time since I tasted halwa made with the red carrots. I made a batch on the same day Appa arrived.

Appa likes to chop veggies and during his stay, I am relieved of that job. I am not the kind of person who is ready to entrust the veggie chopping to anybody who offers to do the same. But Appa insists on doing it. And needless to say he grated the carrots. Half the job is done. I proceeded with the cooking. I made in two batches on different days. On the first day, I cooked the carrot in MW and rest of the process on stove top. The next day, I made it entirely in the microwave oven. I did not find MW making the job easier. The time taken was almost the same. May be a gain of 10 minutes or so in the MW. But opening the MW door, carefully taking the glass bowl and giving a stir at regular intervals, made me feel stove top is the better method. I shall give how I did bothways.

Ingredients

Grated carrot - 3 cups

Milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee 3 tblspn

Cardamom powder - 1 tspn

Cashew/raisins - 10 each


Method

Grate the carrot using the large eyed grater. This will ensure the carrots don't get cooked mushy. And you will be able to bite into the pieces while you eat. But if you prefer a softer kind of halwa, grate it fine.

Cook grated carrot and milk in pressure cooker for one whistle. Or it can be cooked on stove top, till the carrot is fork tender and the milk is almost dried up. I cooked it in MW for 8 mimutes. In the kadai, heat a tablespoon of ghee and fry the cashews and raisins. Transfer the cooked carrot along with milk to a thick bottomed vessel of kadai. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for low flame. Keep giving a stir now and then. When the milk and sugar is fully absorbed by the carrots, add ghee and powdered cardamom. The mixture should not turn too dry but should be moist. Finally garnish with fried cashews and raisins.

Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla icecream.


Microwave method

Cook carrot and milk for 8 minutes. Stir in sugar and cook for 20 minutes. Give a stir at 5 minute intervals. Add ghee and cardamom and cook for 6 minutes. Garnish with fried cashews and raisins. I have used carrot, milk and sugar in the ratio 3:1:1. If you want it to be sweeter, you can increase the sugar by 1/4 cup.

Carrot Kheer/Milkshake - Name it as you Like.

Carrots - bright orange colored veggie, even a small kid will the say the health benefits of this veggie. Good for the Eyes, Vit A!!!!

Now Other than this it can also be used to treat Constipation, Long-term Cough, Adenoids (ask me!!!), Scalp itching and dandruff.

Once in a week i make Carrot Rice for my people's Lunchbox. This Week i changed the routine and made Some Carrot Kheer/Milkshake.

Ingredients

Medium-Sized Carrots - 3 nos.
Milk - 2 cups
Cashew - one tight fist
Sugar - 1/4 - 1/2 cup (depending upon ur taste)
cardamom - a pinch
Silvered almonds - for garnishing

Method

Wash and Peel the carrots, and cut each carrot to 3 or 4 pieces. Cook them with 1 cup of milk, cashews and cardamom.

 Keep the flame low, watch out!!! the milk may boil and come out of the pan. This happens for me always, Will be there watching all thru, a moment i might turn this or that side, whooooooooosh!!!! that time milk boils and comes out of the vessel. Cleaning this is a big task!!!!

Once the carrots are cooked, take it off the flame, let it cool. Now Blend all the cooked ingredients along with another cup of milk and sugar. I used only 1/4 cup. if the kheer is very thick add another 1/2 cup milk.

Cook it again on a very very very low flame for 2-3 minutes. Take it off the flame. Let it cool, Garnish with silvered almonds and serve.

Tastes very good and very healthy too.

Tried and Tested on my Son, trust me the kheer will be gone just like that!!!!
 
I m sending this to CFK - Veggies and Fruits co-hosted by Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles, Event Started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.
 
And to Food for 7 Stages of Life - Kids Special co-hosted by Radhika and Sudheshna

Cauliflower Fritters

Weekends are the days where we normally make some thing extra in the kitchen. Now, the winter has started to set in, evenings are gettting very chilly. Now Chilly Weekend Evenings, Tummy and tongue too, wants something chillie!!!, hott!!, crunchy!!! But as a mother i want it to be healthy too.

So, Here Comes the Cauliflower Fritters. I m sending this post to Food for 7 Stages of life - Kids Special Event co-hosted by Radhika and Sudheshna.

And also to CFK - Veggies and Fruits, hosted by Lakshmi Venkatesh of Kitchen Chronicles, Event Started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Since i m sending this for kids event, thought of including some Nutritional info too.

Colorful fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of DNA protective antioxidants; but there’s another vegetable that’s white in color that has similar disease fighting power – the Versatile Cauliflower.

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as another veggie with powerful health benefits – broccoli. Cauliflower lacks the chlorophyll that gives broccoli its green color because its large leaves shield it from the direct rays of the sun. That made me Say WOW!!! really

Health Benefits of Cauliflower – It Fights Cancer
Because cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable, it has many of the same cancer fighting properties of broccoli, kale, and cabbage; vegetables that have become poster children for cancer prevention. A diet high in cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower is thought to lower the risk of various types of cancer including those of the lung, colon, prostate, and pancreas.

Health Benefits of Cauliflower – It’s High in Vitamin C
Cauliflower is a surprisingly good source of vitamin C, an important antioxidant vitamin, one that helps to maintain a strong immune system, promote wound healing. A single serving of cauliflower provides over half of the recommended daily requirement of vitamin C.

Health Benefits of Cauliflower – It’s a Guilt-Free Food
At only twenty calories in a 3.5 ounce serving and no fat, cauliflower can be enjoyed in abundance without tipping the scales. Because of its low carbohydrate content, it’s a good substitute for potatoes.


Info Source : healthmad.com

Ingredients
Cauliflower - 1/2 kg - cleaned and cut into florets
Gram flour/Besan - 3 tbsp
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp
turmeric, hing - a pinch
Salt to taste
oil for frying

Method

Mix all the given ingredients except oil,  together by sprinkling very little water. The florets should be just coated. Let it rest for 1/2 hour.

Heat oil in a Deep-pan and fry the florets in batches and Dry it on paper towels.Enjoy with Ketchup.