Kheer / Indian rice pudding

INGREDIENTS                                           Basmati rice 1/2 cup Almonds 6-8 Pistachios 6-8 Raisins 8-10 Milk 1 litre Sugar 3/4 cup Green cardamom powder   1/4 teaspoon Saffron (kesar) 5-6 Silver warq to garnish

vanilla essence                    1 tablespoon

METHOD Wash and soak the rice in one cup of water for fifteen minutes. Drain, remove on an absorbent paper and pat dry using a muslin cloth. Grind it to a coarse powder. Blanch almonds and pistachios in one cup of hot water for five minutes. Drain, peel and cut them into slivers. Soak raisins in one-fourth cup water for ten to fifteen minutes, drain. Heat the milk in a thick-bottomed pan and bring it to a boil. Add the rice powder and sugar and cook on low heat till the rice is half done. Add the green cardamom powder, saffron, nuts and allow to simmer on low heat till the rice is cooked and the mixture is thick Remove from heat, allow to cool a little, stir in the raisins and transfer into small clay bowls. Garnish with silver varq and serve chilled.  Kheer- sweet dish, made by boiling rice or broken wheat with milk and sugar, and flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, pistachios or almonds. It is typically served during a meal or also consumed alone as a stand alone savory. Kheer is made in different ways in different part of India.

Carrot pudding (Gajar Halawa)

Halva refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.

The term halva (Arabic: حلوى‎ halwā), meaning "sweet", is used to describe two types of desserts: 

1. Flour based- This type of halva is slightly gelatinous and made from grain flour, typically semolina. The primary ingredients are oil, flour, and sugar.

2. Nut and butter based- This type of halva is crumbly and usually made from tahini (sesame paste) or other nut butters, such as sunflower seed butter. The primary ingredients are nut butter and sugar.

Halva may also be based on numerous other ingredients, including sunflower seeds, various nuts, beans, lentils, and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, yams, and squashes.

                     This is one of my favourite desserts. My would Make it during the special occasion. Carrot pudding is Known as Gajar Halwa in India. Gajar Halwa is one of the most popular traditional Indian desserts. Gajar Halwa is made from fresh carrots and cooked in milk and ghee and garnished with nuts and raisins. This recipe is a healthy version of traditional recipe. I like to use condensed milk sometimes and i would suggest adding half amount of the sugar or less if you are do not want to over power your recipe with sugar. I like to serve this recipe with scoop of vanilla ice cream yuuummmy!

Ingredients:

1 kg Carrots

1 liter Milk (I like to use sweet condensed milk)

1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds

3/4 cup Water

3 tablespoons Ghee

2 tablespoons Raisins

2 tablespoons Almonds

2 tablespoons Pistachios

450 grams Sugar

Method:

Wash and grate the carrots.

Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes.

Blanch and shred the nuts.
Put the water to boil, when it starts boiling add the grated carrots.

Cook for 5-7 minutes.
Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed.
Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins.
Mix well. Remove from heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.