highlights
Halwa is said to have originated in the Ottoman Empire of Turkey; it came to India through the Mughals or Arab traders.
Carrot Halwa was first made especially by the Sikhs of Punjab, then it became popular.
Halwa came to India from Persia and then it became the national dish of India. During this winter season, Lal-Lal Halwa made with carrot khoya and dry fruits is such a hit that just hearing its name is guaranteed to make your tongue water. Although so many varieties of halwa have developed in this country in the last few years that each variety is better than the other, but the real king of halwa is the excellent halwa made by grinding carrots.
It is said that when the Mughals brought halwa to India and it reached the common people through their kitchens, every tongue became crazy about it. By the way, carrot halwa is the gift of Punjab. During the winter season, when carrots grow in abundance in the northern plains of our country, it is prepared in different ways. The credit for making carrot halwa for the first time and presenting it to the Mughal emperors goes to the Sikhs of Punjab.
As soon as winter arrives, the market is filled with bright red juicy carrots. However, before going towards the delicious carrot halwa, one should know how this dish became a national sweet and how it came to India.
Hand-made sweets are first said to have originated in the Middle East in the 13th century. In the Arabic book Kitab al-Tabikh (The Book of Recipes), Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Karim mentions some varieties of halva recipes. The word Halwa comes from the word “Hulva” which means sweet.
Where did the pudding come from?
It is believed that the making of Halwa was first done in the Ottoman Empire of Turkey. It is said that the Sultan of the empire had built a special kitchen for cooking sweets. At that time, halwa was prepared with only three ingredients – starch, fat and sweetener. However, it is also said that this dish dates back to the Eastern Roman Byzantine Empire some time before the 12th century AD. Dates, nuts and other spices were also used to improve the taste of the dish.
Colleen Taylor Sen writes in her book ‘Feasts and Fasts’ that Halwa came to India during the Delhi Sultanate from the beginning of the 13th century to the middle of the 16th century. It is also said in the book ‘Gujishta Lucknow’ that Halwa came to India from Arabic land via Persia. In Hyderabad, Hamidi Confectioners, which sells Jauzi Halwa, is believed to have links to Turkey, as the shop was founded by someone of Turkish descent.
Halwa is also made from green chillies
Today in the country, from meat halwa to ‘green chilli halwa’ of Pune, ‘chholar dal halwa’ of West Bengal, ‘egg halwa’ of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, ‘Kashi halwa’ of Karnataka…means to see different types of halwa. See you, but carrot halwa is the champion among them all.
Since carrots were grown in abundance in medieval India, most of the food experiments with it took place in North India only. In central India, carrot pudding was known as Gajarela. It is said that it was first made among the Sikh community in Punjab.
Sikhs of Punjab made first
Legend has it that when the Sikhs of Punjab presented it to the Mughals, the Mughal chefs enhanced it by adding vibrant colours, floral scents and dry fruits to it.
In this, grated carrots are slowly boiled in milk. And when the water released from carrots along with milk starts drying, it is further kneaded. Sometimes, while continuously adding milk to it, it is cooked on hot flame along with carrots. On top of this, it is cooked again with pure ghee, sugar, dry fruits and mawa.
Divine Taste Gajar Ka Halwa
After doing all this, the delicious carrot halwa is ready. Its taste is divine, in which carrots, milk, khoya, ghee and dry fruits all mix together to create such a rainbow of taste that one feels satisfied from the tongue to the soul. The condition with this is that let it cook on low flame and after giving sufficient time, keep mixing all its ingredients from time to time.
When a wonderful carrot halwa comes on the tongue, the special delicacy with which the sweet, crispy, grainy taste dances and dissolves is amazing. By the way, carrot halwa became the favorite dish of the emperors during the Mughal period.
Halwa has certainly seen a long journey. Everyone must have eaten semolina or flour halwa at home. Halwa made from flour of each millet grain also has its own specialties. Halwa is such a dish which is made from so many different things that anyone can be surprised. If delicious halwa is made of meat, then halwa of various fruits, great halwa of potatoes and the leftovers are completed by halwa made of different types of ground pulses. Halwa was a kind of halwa, which is made by lightly roasting it with ghee and sugar on the flame of fire.
Halwa came to life due to the introduction of orange carrots
It is also said that long before the arrival of the Mughals in India, traders coming from the Middle East had brought it. Orange carrots were the sweeter, prettier and non-sticky variety, making it popular among cooks. Well, carrots come in many colours, from purple to orange and black and their halwa also takes the same colour. By the way, carrots were originally purple in colour. The carrots we see now were brought to India by a trader. Carrots are said to be a gift from Afghanistan in the Indian subcontinent. Carrots were growing there since 5000 years ago.
how to make
So now let us also know how to make carrot halwa if you want to make it yourself.
Carrot Halwa (for 10 to 12 people)
Material
01 kg carrot (orange)
1.60 to 1.80 liters milk
about half a cup cream
1 ¾ cups sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
¼ cup pure ghee
8 to 10 cardamoms
1 tablespoon raisins
2 tbsp chopped almonds, pistachios, cashews
Method
Lightly peel and grate the carrots and keep them aside. Let the milk boil. Put carrots in it. Let the milk and carrot mixture come to a boil, then add sugar to it and keep stirring continuously. Keep the flame medium. Once the milk dries and mixes with the carrots, add thick cream while stirring continuously.
When the mixture is complete, add unsalted butter, pure ghee and cardamom and keep stirring continuously. Keep the flame medium to high. Keep stirring until the oil starts separating and the color of the carrot mixture turns dark orange. Add finely chopped dry fruits on top of it. Eat and feed it hot. (Other varieties of Halwa in the next episode)
,
Tags: Carrot Grass, food, food 18, food diet, Food Recipe, Prayagraj cuisine
FIRST PUBLISHED: February 5, 2024, 14:58 IST