Beetroot Halwa/ Beets Pudding

Beetroot halwa , the rich decadent and deep luscious colored sweet is seriously addictive. After trying the Punjabi special Gajar ka Halwa, every weekend when I visit the Mandi I get a bunch of the freshest beets thinking of trying on the beet halwa but somehow their freshness never let it sit even for a day and they ended up in salads or juices.

But this time I was determined to try them and as soon as I came home from Mandi I prepared the halwa and they had a little more earthy flavor than the carrot halwa but was simply tasty. This makes an excellent desi sweet for valentines’ day celebrations too !

Ingredients:

Fresh Beets/Beetroot-4 cups, grated

Sugar-1 cup

Milk-2 cups/ ½ liter

Cardamom powder-1 pinch/5 pods, crushed

Ghee-4 tbsp

Chopped nuts-to garnish

How It Happened:

1. Wash and pat dry the beets. Peel them and grate them.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a wide heavy bottomed pan, add the grated beets and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Pour in the milk and cook for 15 -20 minutes in medium flame. By now the beets would have turned soft and the milk would have been completely dried.

4. Add the sugar and as it melts the mixture will again turn fluidy. Keep cooking in medium flame until all the liquid evaporates and the halwa will start leaving the sides of the pan.

5. Add the cardamom powder and the chopped nuts and mix well. Switch off the flame.

6. Serve warm or chilled.

Notes:

* Use the large slot grater. If you use the fine grater the beets get cooked too fast and will become mushy and will not have a texture.

* Beets have some sweetness and it also depends on the kind of beets you use. So adjust the sugar as per your taste. It may vary from3/4 cup to 1 -1/4 cups.