Carrots are one of my favorite vegetables. Although I don’t like carrot cake, I do love this Indian pudding made with lots of milk, some amount of sugar, and not as much butter (ghee, really) as I had anticipated. It takes a long time, but is so worth it!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pound carrots, peeled and chopped in half
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup or more sugar (white, coconut, light brown, etc.)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- (optional) a pinch of saffron
- 1/8 to 1/4 cup each chopped almonds and/or cashews
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Method
- Shred carrots in a food processor or with a box grater.
- Put carrots in a large, heavy-bottomed pot (preferably non-stick), along with milk, sugar, salt, and saffron, if using.
- Bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer, uncovered, until nearly all milk has evaporated and been absorbed. This takes nearly 1 hour, and should be done on low heat; I stir it every 5 or so minutes to avoid sticking and scorching.
- Meanwhile, sauté nuts in 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons ghee in another pan. Set aside 20 to 24 nuts for garnish. Let both sets of nuts cool to use later.
- Stir in cardamom, and adjust sweetness to suit your taste; I’ve added another 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar.
- Turn up heat, to medium/medium-low, and add in the larger remainder of (non-garnish) nuts. Add 1 to 3 more teaspoons ghee at a time, and briskly stir the pudding until no liquid remains, and it becomes glossy, about 15 to 25 minutes. The flavor should also become somewhat caramelized.
- Serve and store the pudding in a glass or ceramic dish, and garnish with remaining nuts. Best served warm, but microwaving leftovers is fine!
Submit a comment