Halwa Mania

2.  Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Pudding/Halwa)

Ok now this is my 2nd recipe on the Halwa mania series, and I hope you like it if you try it. I usually make it in the winters no special reason it’s just I’m too lazy to make it all the time hehe
And Saira if you make it do let me know how you liked it. =)

Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Pudding/Halwa)

Ingredients:

2 kg carrots
½ kg sugar
1 cup water
500g khoya
1-1/2 cup Ghee
50g fresh blanched almond slivers
50g pistachios coarsely grounded
50g walnuts coarsely grounded
50g raisins
6-8 green cardamoms (crushed with skin)
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Method:

1. Wash and slightly scrap and then grate carrots, keep aside
2. Prepare the nuts and keep aside.

3. Put 2 cardamoms pods with 1 cup water and ½ kg sugar in a pot on medium heat to dissolve the sugar to make thin syrup

4. When the sugar has completely dissolved add 400g mashed khoya and stir once or twice,

                                   

until the khoya is dissolved.

5. At this stage add the grated carrots,

                                                         

ghee and rest of the cardamoms stir, cover and cook for about 10 minutes.

6. After 10 minutes remove the lid and stir, and taste for sweetness (some people prefer very sweet so go according to taste) put the heat on medium-high and continue cooking stirring occasionally until all the water dries up. (DO NOT ADD SUGAR WHEN WATER HAS DRIED OUT its makes it sticky and hard).

7. When you see all the water has dried up and you can see some ghee coming out (at this stage the ghee will be slightly pale orange) add the nuts (leave some of the nuts for decoration) and cinnamon powder and continue cooking and stirring occasionally

8. Now you will see it’s leaving more ghee in a kindly dark orange tint, at this stage keep starring and cooking for about 10 minutes and you will see it coming together like soft lump then it’s ready.
9. Dish out and sprinkle the 100g khoya and mix nuts to decorate, serve warm and enjoy!.
 

Stollen – a very traditional German Christmas bread.

The December 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge.

When I first saw the post for December challenge I was like okk!?..Stollen mmm never had one before nor did I ever made one beside anything with raisins is just ok with me so here was a challenge to make. As we were allowed to post any day/time between 23 to 27^th so I thought of making it in the first week but could not as I had to go with my maternal grandmothers and mama to their village after 15 years (village post coming soon) and had fun and was exciting.

So when I got back I posted my Halwa mania and finished my December challenge just today mmmm got a little lazy though! =)

After reading the 4 pages I was like it must be very hard work and its gona take me the whole day to make the first stage but I was wrong after doing all the prep the first stage was really easy and got it done quick! The rest was easy pesy. Was worried about the baking as my oven has been acting up on me! Was supposed to get it checked had no time…Then I was not sure about the baking but the tips helped. And the gorgeous aroma that filled the house was bring everyone to the kitchen, my brother sent my sis-in-law to check whatever i was baking was ready!!..i told her it’s almost done but needs to rest for an hour so you guys wait….the hour was not up and she was back with my niece (off course whom I cannot refuse anything) and she asked for a slice and I asked her to wait just few minutes for me to decorate it and take some photos and after that I gave her a slice her mom thinking she will give it to her dad but she didn’t heheh she had it herself!.   

They could not wait and as my whole family was here it finished almost immediately at tea time with warm butter and honey. It tasted fabulous and looked pretty.

I was happy they liked is so much this means it was a success!! Yeppyy!! =)

It was a good challenge and experience. Thank you DB and Penny for this amazing challenge. =)

 

 Recipe:

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.