Come winters and every household get set to whip up all the yummy seasonal treats. From gajjak to til patti and halwa - you will find every kitchen packed with different lip-smacking sweet-treats during this time. One such popular dish that melts our heart to the core is gajar ka halwa. It won't be an exaggeration to say that our love for this ghee-laden goodness knows no bound. Winter for most of us is synonymous to gajar ka halwa. It is rich, aromatic and spells indulgence - trust us, you just can't stop with just one bite!
Also called gajrela, gajar ka halwa is one of the most-loved seasonal treats across India. However, it has garnered quite a bad reputation due to the excess amount of sugar we throw in the recipe. The extra calories due to sugar makes this amazing dish a sinful affair. But if you tweak it a bit, gajar ka halwa can be deemed one of the most beneficial seasonal foods to look up to. It includes the goodness of carrot, milk, dry fruits and ghee that can help nourish us from within and prevent seasonal diseases. In fact, it is the most tantalising way to include healthy nutrients in our diet.
Also Read: Weight Loss Tips: How To Include More Carrots In Your Winter Diet
Why Gajar Ka Halwa Is A Perfect Winter Dessert | 5 Benefits Of Gajar Ka Halwa:
1. One most important ingredient in this recipe is carrot. A winter-special vegetable, carrot is a storehouse of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and fibre. These factors help boost digestion, eye health and immunity during winters.
2. This seasonal goodness (carrot) is also enriched with vitamin C that works as an antioxidant to flush out toxins from our body. It further helps protect us from the dry spell that winter casts on our skin, making it healthy and glowing.
3. Gajar ka halwa is just not complete without an aromatic smell of oodles of ghee. According to Ayurveda, ghee helps you keep warm from within, making it an important part winter diet. It is also considered a superfood for being great for overall mind and body.
4. The cold winter season makes most of us lazy. It is that time of the year when we prefer tucking in our blanket for the whole day. Hence, experts recommend warm and healthy fats-enriched foods like ghee during this time to refuel us to keep going throughout the day. For the unversed, ghee is a good source of energy.
5. Gajar ka halwa also includes milk and nuts that are credited for nutrients like calcium, protein, fibre and vitamins. Inclusion of these ingredients makes gajar ka halwa a healthy and warm dish to relish during the winters.
Keeping these factors in mind, NDTV Food brings you a sugar-free gajar ka halwa recipe that will make your indulgence a guilt-free affair.
How To Make Sugar-Free Gajar Ka Halwa:
A quintessential gajar ka halwa is a perfect blend of grated carrot, ghee, sugar milk and nuts. Here, grated carrot is first fried in ghee and then boiled in milk to get a creamy sweet dish of thick consistency. In this particular recipe, we replace calorific sugar with healthy sugar substitute that not only makes it healthier, but also keep up with the authentic taste and texture.
Click here for the step-by-step recipe of sugar-free gajar ka halwa.
Try this recipe at home and treat your sweet-tooth without any worries. Happy Winters!