Punjabi Carrot Pudding: Gajar Halwa

"Halwa," also rendered as "halva" and "halvah," is a word from Arabic (maybe also Hebrew? Or did Hebrew get it from Arabic?) that was borrowed by Turkish. The Turks took over the area of what is now Romania; thus, the word was borrowed by Romanian and then taken on by Yiddish speakers in Romania. English borrowed the word in the mid 1800s via Yiddish speaking immigrants. While the term has stayed near its basic meaning of "sweet dish," it does not mean the same exact thing everywhere. In Punjab, in northern India, it usually means "a sweetened pudding of vegetables," while in the greater Middle East it is often a dish of compressed sesame seeds and honey, along with some spices. In Punjab, where the carrot type halwa is common, it is called "gajrela" in Punjabi,* and it is typically served warm in the winter, when temperatures in Punjab are usually in the 30s and 40s F, in contrast to summer temperatures which commonly exceed 100 F.

Ingredients:

 

4 cups grated (peeled) carrot (you can use a food processor)

3 1/4 cups milk 

4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter, but regular butter can be substituted) 

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (to your own preferred level of sweetness)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup chopped cashews

(optional) cream or extra butter for serving

 

You want to use a thick bottomed pan. Mix together the grated carrot and the milk in the pan. You can use medium heat briefly to warm up the mixture, but you need to reduce the heat to low well before it boils. Let the mixture boil, then adjust the temperature even further downward to just a slight simmer. Give the mixture a frequent stir. Between the carrots and evaporation, the milk will reduce and the mixture will thicken, but this can take some time, during which the main thing is to try to prevent sticking or burning. When the mixture is thicker, but still liquid, add the sugar and the ground cardamon, stir well, then add the butter. Continue to let the mixture simmer and thicken, still stirring frequently. Now add the raisins and chopped cashews. You may have to turn the heat even lower, if possible, but continue to cook the mixture until the milk is absorbed. Can be served warm or cold, with some extra butter, some cream or even with some extra dried fruit and nuts on top. 

   

* The Punjabi language is from the Indo Aryan branch of the Indo Iranian language branch of the Indo European language family. This makes it a relative of English, but further down the family tree.  

 

 

Topped with some cream ...

WORD HISTORY: 

Worsted-This word for a type of wool fabric is also used adjectively. It comes from about 1300 from the village of Worstead, in the county of Norfolk in eastern England, where the wool was first processed into such fabric. The Old English rendering of the village was "Wurþestede" ('þ' is essentially equivalent to 'th'), which then became "Worsted(e)," before the modern form. "Apparently" the town's name in Old English came from its location being considered to be a "worth(y) stead."