Carrot Halwa

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!!! Yea, yea I know I'm a little late. I was waiting to post something sweet as my first recipe of the new year and I finally found some time to make the following. Sorry about the picture, it was the best my camera could do!!


INGREDIENTS

4 Carrots -- grated finely
1 cup Milk
5 tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Ghee - 3 tsp if it's already melted
Optional Garnishings (I used Raisins, Cashews and Almonds)


PROCEDURE

Heat Ghee in a pan and add in any garnishing items you want to use. Once all the nuts brown slightly remove them from the heat.
Add milk and the grated carrots to the ghee. Let the milk come to a boil. Now add in the sugar and let everything come together on a medium-low flame.
It is important to keep it on a low flame, otherwise the carrots won't cook properly.
Once the mixture thickens, take it off heat and add in the nuts and raisins.
The whole cooking process might take about 20 minutes.
Serve hot or cold, it's good either way!!
Be sure to refrigerate unused portions.
NOTE: The nuts will continue to look while they are hot, so take them out before they brown completely or you'll have burnt nuts.

Double Ka Meetha

I'm sure everyone has their own version of this simple yet yummy sweet, but here's mine...
Sorry abput the picture, but it was the best I could do, I just couldn't wait to dig into the sweetness.

INGREDIENTS

4 Bread Slices
Butter for toasting
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
3 pods Cardamom

PROCEDURE

Make the cardamom into a fine powder and keep it aside.
Toast each bread slice with a little bit of butter until lightly brown. I used a pan, but you can use a traditional bread toaster if you'd like. If you do use a toaster, put the butter on the slices after they come out. Cut each piece of bread into 4 pieces in your desired shape, I chose to cut them diagonally to form triangles.
In the microwave, heat the milk until it comes to a boil, about 2 minutes, add in the sugar and put it in the microwave again for about 30 seconds until the sugar melts, add in the cardamom powder and mix it well.
Arrange the toasted bread slices in a serving bowl and pour the milk mixture on top.
It is best to put this dish aside for at least 30 minutes before you serve it to your guests. This will help the bread soak in all the delicious flavors.
From the picture it looks like the bread slices are still preety hard, but as soon as you put a soup into it, you can see just how soogy it is.
Serve hot or cold, it's just as good.
I was going to send this to SriLekha's Sweet Event, but it looks like I missed it by a day. Oh well, there's always next time!