Avantika's Kitchen Delights: Carrot Kheer / Payasam

Navratri is about to come and we all are thinking what sweet dish to prepare on those days. I have come up with a sweet dish and that's Carrot Kheer / Payasam.

I had 8 pieces of medium sized carrots in my fridge lying there since a week. They were still fresh and I wanted to use them creatively. I tried preparing kheer using it and it turned out to be heavenly. I have added Carrot as the main ingredient in this kheer. However you can add Sabudana also to it, which I did not. Probably will try next time. This kheer can be had during fasting also.

It takes about 40 minutes to prepare this kheer, not much time consuming.

So, this Navratri try this kheer and relish it.

INGREDIENTS :

(1) 3 cups of Grated Carrot (6 medium sized Carrots grated)

(2) 1 cup of chopped Carrot (2 medium sized Carrots chopped)
(3) 1 litre Milk

(4) 7-9 teaspoons of Sugar

(5) 4 tablespoon of Condensed milk (Milkmaid)

(6) 15 pieces of Cashew nuts

(7) 20 pieces of Raisins

(8) 12 pieces of Almonds

(9) Freshly crushed Cardamom / Cardamom powder

(10) 2 tablespoon Ghee

Note : While preparing this kheer, one has to constantly stir the mixture from the beginning to end or else it will stick to the bottom of the utensil and get burnt.

And keep the gas flame on low throughout.

All ingredients gathered together. Ghee not shown in the picture.
Top row shows from left to right - Milk, chopped Carrot, grated Carrot, condensed milk (Milkmaid), Cardamom powder.
Second row shows from left to right - Sugar, soaked and peeled Almonds, Cashew nuts, Raisins.

Finely grated Carrot, fibre like thin

METHOD :

(1) Soak 12 pieces of Almonds in water for 2 hours. After 2 hours, peel the skin of it and keep the almonds aside.

(2) In a utensil, boil 1 litre of milk and keep aside.

1 litre Milk kept for boiling

Boiled Milk

(3) Finely grate 6 medium sized carrots after washing them. It will yield 3 cups of grated carrot.

Take 3 cups of grated carrot, 1 cup shown in the figure.

(4) Heat a kadhai / wok and put 1 table spoon of clarified butter / ghee in it. Add grated carrot and roast it for five minutes till the raw smell of it goes away.

Once done, turn off the gas flame and keep it aside.

(5) Chop 2 medium sized carrots into circles as shown.

Put them in the blending jar along with peeled almonds. Add 30 ml of boiled and cooled milk to it. Grind till a smooth paste is formed.

(6) Add roasted carrot to the boiled milk and start the gas flame.

(7) Add carrot almond paste too.

Mix well.

(8) Add condensed milk (4 tablespoon of Milkmaid). Then add 8 teaspoon of sugar or as per sweetness required.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of Cardamom powder.

Mix well.

(9) Boil the entire mixture on a low flame till the carrot have cooked. This took me 10 minutes. Constantly stir while boiling or else it will stick to the bottom of the pan and the kheer will get burnt.

(10) After the entire mixture is thickened and reached the desired consistency, turn off the gas flame.

(11) Now take a tempering ladle and add 1 tablespoon of ghee to it. Put 14 chopped cashews and roast it till then turn golden yellow in colour. Then add 20 pieces of raisins and mix well. After 10 seconds, turn off the gas flame.