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Healthier Gajar Halwa (Carrot Pudding) Wednesday, December 05, 2012, 09:34 PM

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I finally made the gajar halwa I have been thinking about for a while. It is very good but it is remarkably unhealthy when you follow the normal recipes. I read a few recipes, most notably this one and with using the pressure cooker and baking powder as suggested in the Modernist Cuisine for soup.

It was very good. Not as good as stuff I have had previously but better than some restaurants. According to my indian friend, if he had it and wasn't told it was made healthier, he would have believed it, but he also agreed it isn't as good as the traditional versions he has had.

I took notes on exactly what I did and they are below. But, in the future, this is not the way I will do it. The biggest changes are I will use less salt (it was way too salty), a bit more cardamom, and much less liquid. I ended up having to keep it cooking without the lid for a while to cook off the excess. I do not know if I can reduce the butter but I may try. I also may try adding some cinnamon and nutmeg. Not much but a little.

Here are my notes. They are not exactly as I took them since I consolidated amounts (adding more cooking time or more seasonings). Also, I took the notes fast. I think I forgot to record some things which I have since corrected.

Some additional notes: A lot of recipes talk about not letting it turn to mush. I personally like it a bit mushy. It is more pudding like in my opinion. To each his own I guess. Also, some recipes talk about a hint of cardamom. I like cardamom so I do not mind piling it on. And I may try a bit of ginger powder too. Finally, I am not a huge fan of raisins in things so I cut that, but I would consider some cashews next time.

Pressure Cooker Healthier Gajar Halwa (aka Carrot Pudding)

Again, these are my notes of what I did, with notes on what I'll do next time.

In the pressure cooker, combine

• 2 lbs shredded carrots
• 2 cups almond-coconut milk (the ~50 cal/cup kind...I'll try cutting this to around 1 or 1.5 in the future)
• 70 gram of smart balance (about 4 servings...I may try to reduce in the future)
• 18 packets of Splenda (about 3/4 cups of sugar equivalent)
• 2 tsp cardamom (but as noted above, I'll use more next time)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt (I'll reduce this next time)

Put in pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Note, the lock when on quickly, but steam only started to escape after 5 minutes for 10 minutes at pressure. I'll increase this by 3-5 minutes next time.

Release the pressure and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it is at the desired consistency. I kept went a total of 19 minutes simmering.

Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2867, 2012-12-05_213408