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Impress guests with something other than a pumpkin pie or giant chocolate cake for dessert around the holidays.
La Grange’s Kama Indian Bistro owner Vikram Singh encourages individuals to offer their guests with a healthier dessert option this season.
“You want to eat a dessert, but you want something healthy and easy to make,” he says. And Carrot Halwa is it.
The gluten-free, lightly spiced dessert doesn’t use any flour. The varied spices are the key, which can be altered from the recipe to suit a person’s taste buds. The recipe is one of Singh’s favorites.
“In India, it’s something that you would eat with tea,” he says. “The dessert really brings people together. It’s comfort food.”
The La Grange restaurant offers the dish on their regular menu.
Singh views cooking the dessert as a great opportunity to get the children involved in the kitchen. “When kids begin to take ownership in what they’ve made, it makes them proud and gets them to eat healthier. … The holiday season is also about the kids,” he says.
CARROT HALWA
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots (medium grated)
1/3 of a gallon of whole milk
8 teaspoons sugar (adjust per taste)
1 stick of unsalted butter
8 to 10 teaspoons poppy seed
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Raisins, sliced almonds and pistachios
Mix the grated carrots and milk using a non-stick pot. Cook on medium heat until the milk dries. If one intends to stay by the stove, the heat can be increased to high while continually stirring. Then add the butter and poppy seed to the mixture in the pot. The poppy seed gives stiffness to the carrots. Cook until the butter dries. When the butter dries, add sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, raisins, sliced almonds and pistachios to your taste preference. Serve the dish hot.
Note: The end of each step is not marked by time but by the wetness of the grated carrots. When the milk and butter have dried and absorbed into the carrots, it is an indication that the step is over. In that case, a person can use whatever temperature setting they are comfortable with.
Prep time: About 30 minutes
Serves 6
— Submitted by Kama Indian Bistro owner Vikram Singh
Have a recipe that you think would be good to prepare for the holidays? Let us know about it in our "Comments" section.
Impress guests with something other than a pumpkin pie or giant chocolate cake for dessert around the holidays.
La Grange’s Kama Indian Bistro owner Vikram Singh encourages individuals to offer their guests with a healthier dessert option this season.
“You want to eat a dessert, but you want something healthy and easy to make,” he says. And Carrot Halwa is it.
The gluten-free, lightly spiced dessert doesn’t use any flour. The varied spices are the key, which can be altered from the recipe to suit a person’s taste buds. The recipe is one of Singh’s favorites.
“In India, it’s something that you would eat with tea,” he says. “The dessert really brings people together. It’s comfort food.”
The La Grange restaurant offers the dish on their regular menu.
Singh views cooking the dessert as a great opportunity to get the children involved in the kitchen. “When kids begin to take ownership in what they’ve made, it makes them proud and gets them to eat healthier. … The holiday season is also about the kids,” he says.
CARROT HALWA
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots (medium grated)
1/3 of a gallon of whole milk
8 teaspoons sugar (adjust per taste)
1 stick of unsalted butter
8 to 10 teaspoons poppy seed
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Raisins, sliced almonds and pistachios
Mix the grated carrots and milk using a non-stick pot. Cook on medium heat until the milk dries. If one intends to stay by the stove, the heat can be increased to high while continually stirring. Then add the butter and poppy seed to the mixture in the pot. The poppy seed gives stiffness to the carrots. Cook until the butter dries. When the butter dries, add sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, raisins, sliced almonds and pistachios to your taste preference. Serve the dish hot.
Note: The end of each step is not marked by time but by the wetness of the grated carrots. When the milk and butter have dried and absorbed into the carrots, it is an indication that the step is over. In that case, a person can use whatever temperature setting they are comfortable with.
Prep time: About 30 minutes
Serves 6
— Submitted by Kama Indian Bistro owner Vikram Singh
Have a recipe that you think would be good to prepare for the holidays? Let us know about it in our "Comments" section.
