CARROT DAMROOT
Lavish and traditional Indian weddings are celebrated with various ceremonies spread out through five days or at least for three days. Every meal is an elaborate spread with many dishes accompanied by a special sweet. Damroot has a prominant place in the breakfast spread of a wedding feast. It is usually prepared with ashgourd and is also known as Kashi Halwa.
A famous sweet stall - Bhaghat Ram's - at Bangalore has created a novelty by using carrot instead of ashgourd, and the thought of the Carrot Damroot makes one drool and crave for the exotica!
INGREDIENTS
Carrots - 500 gms
Sugar - 250 gms
Milk - 1/2 lit
Ghee - 4 tbsps
Almond flakes - for garnishing
Saffron strands - a few ( soaked in little warm milk)
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch
METHOD
1. Wash and scrape the carrots.
2. Pressure cook whole carrots along with milk.
3. Mash the cooked carrots using the back of the ladle, or a potato masher and blend well.
4. Transfer the carrot-milk mash to a heavy bottomed kadai (or you can continue cooking in the pressure cooker without the lid, and save washing up one more vessel!!) and cook till the milk evaporates.
5. Add the saffron strands, sugar, ghee and cardamom powder and blend well.
6. Pour this mixture into a greased foil tray or a flat baking tin.
9. Preheat the oven for about 15 minutes.
11. Bake the carrot mixture at 180 degrees in a fan forced oven for about 40 minutes, or until the top starts browning.
12. Remove the tray and decorate with almond flakes or cashewnuts, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Nothing so delicious as serving it straight out of the oven , with the lovely caramelised reddish brown colour on top the dish, along with a scoop of vanilla icecream!
