Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Pudding) #FantasticalFoodFight

I love the Fantastical Food Fight coordinated by Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes. 

This month, we were given the challenge of making a recipe inspired by carrot cake. So. Many. Possibilities. I have made many a carrot cake: D made a Spicy Carrot Cake one Easter; Morotskaka is a Swedish carrot cake; I even folded petals in a Marigold Carrot Cake.

But I really wanted to do something different. I toyed with a savory carrot cake with turmeric and a feta cheese "frosting," but I'll save that for another time. In the end, I opted to make an unusual Indian dessert that's made with grated carrots, milk, nuts, and spices. But, first, here's the rest of the crew's offerings...

An InLinkz Link-up

Gajar Ka Halwa
(Carrot Pudding)

This isn't wholly traditional as I used what we had. I wanted to use rainbow carrots - I had orange, yellow, and purple ones - but D insisted that we use only the orange ones for this. And since he was the one doing all the grating, I went with it!

Ingredients

• 4 cups organic carrots, grated 
• 2 cups whole milk
• 5 Tablespoons organic dark brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons butter (traditionally, ghee is used)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 14 ounces condensed milk
• 1 cups whole roasted, unsalted cashews + more for garnish

Procedure

In a large, flat-bottom pan, add the carrots, brown sugar, and 1 cup milk. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rest of the milk. Once the milk boils, reduce the heat to a simmer then cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk is absorbed completely and the carrots are soft.

Add in the cashews, the butter, and the spices. Pour in the condensed milk. Continue cooking until the liquid is incorporated into the carrots and you have a thick pudding. Spoon into individual serving bowls and garnish with a cashew.