Black Carrot Halwa | A Tasty Indian Treat For Halloween
Most of us believe that carrots have always been orange but the truth is, the orange carrot first made an appearance only around the 17th century, when the Dutch bred it in honour of William of Orange. The first known carrots are believed to be Black carrots. And, I happened to find some during my recent visit to the supermarket, neatly packaged and marketed as Halloween carrots!
Halloween traces its origins to the ancient Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts celebrated their New Year’s on November 1st, marking the end of the harvest season and the onset of the dark cold winter. The Celts associated this time of the year with human death and believed that on the day before the New year’s the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead were blurred and the ghosts of the dead returned to the world of the living. There were sacred rituals conducted during this time.
Over a period of time as Christianity spread across this region, November 1st came to be observed as All Saints Day and the 2nd of November as All-Souls Day – a day to honour the dead. Rituals similar to Samhain were conducted during All-Souls Day. The All-Saints day was also known as All-hallows or All-hallowmas and the eve of All-Saints Day which was the night of the Samhain in the Celtic region, came to be known as All Hallows Eve and eventually Halloween.
People would dress up in costumes as saints, angels, demons or the dead and go from house to house asking for food or money, which today has become the “Trick or Treat” tradition. This tradition has been encouraged over the years as a means of community and neighbourly get-togethers. I had a first hand experience of Trick and Treat when I visited my cousins in Edinburgh in 2019. I heard the doorbell ring and I went and opened the door to find a headless maiden, with head in her hand, asking me “Trick or Treat”!! I freaked out for a second but now I can’t stop laughing thinking about that moment.
To prevent tricks from being played on them, families would treat the children in the neighbourhood. And this is why we come across a lot of sweet treats during Halloween. This got me thinking! I thought why not make an Indian sweet treat this time – something that will elegantly straddle the dark theme while also act as a reminder of the sweet memories of our dear departed ones. So here’s presenting – the Black carrot Halwa!
The Black Carrot and the Black carrot Halwa
The recipe for the Black carrot Halwa is the same as the regular Carrot Halwa. Black Carrots are sweet but with a slight spicy after-taste. Hence, a slightly higher amount of cardamom is used and this is the only difference in the recipe and so I’m not going to delve too much into the intricacies of making the Black carrot Halwa.
The variation in the colour of the carrots is due to the concentration of the various compounds in the carrots. While the Orange and yellow carrots owe their colour to the high concentration of beta-carotene, the black and purple carrots owe it to the high concentration of anthocyanins. Black carrots have a few health benefits including possible ability to treat Alzheimer’s, optimize digestion, inflammation reduction and boost cognition to name a few.
Dark but warm and not gloomy
Life sometimes can be dark. We all have lost someone dear. In the current troubled times, some of us couldn’t even get to say a final goodbye! Time and again, young parents looking forward to the exciting days ahead have been robbed of that joy even before their bundle of joy could see the light of the day. It hurts super bad. There is no denying it. But even in those dark moments we have their happy memories with us, providing the warmth in the gloom.
The Black Carrot Halwa is dark – depicting the dark times and the truth of death. But, it is sweet and visually elegant (unlike some of the spooky treats available during this time) like the memories we cherish. And moreover when enjoyed hot, the Black Carrot Halwa gives one the much needed hug like warmth in this cold gloomy season!
This Black Carrot Halwa is a dedication to all our dear departed ones. Let’s always cherish their memories and keep them alive! Let’s make it a Happy Halwa-ween!
Black Carrot Halwa
Ingredients
For the Carrot Halwa:
- ½ Cup Ghee divided
- 10-15 pc Cashews, chopped
- 10-15 pc Almonds, chopped
- 10-15 pc Raisins/ Sultanas
- 4 Cups Grated Black Carrots
- 4 Cups Milk Full-fat organic
- 1 Cup Sugar granulated (adjust to your taste/ requirement)
- 8 pc Green Cardamom shelled and powdered
- ½ tsp Saffron strands
Additional Ingredients:
- Pistachio Slivers for garnishing (optional)
- Dried Rose Petals for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
Making the Carrot Halwa:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of Ghee in a thick-bottomed pan and fry the chopped cashews and almonds until they brown a bit. Few seconds before removing them off the heat, add the raisins and fry till they puff-up. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, combine the grated carrots and the milk and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Lower the heat and simmer the mixture stirring regularly.
- Keep stirring and cooking until the milk begins to reduce
- Once the milk is almost reduced and evaporated, add the remaining ghee, mix well and continue to cook for a couple of minutes
- Add the sugar along with the saffron strands and cardamom powder , mix well and continue to cook until the mixture is almost dry
- Finish off by adding the cashews, almonds and raisins and mix the Halwa well and take it off the heat
- Garnish with dried Rose Petals and Pistachio Slivers and serve!
Notes
- Store the Carrot Halwa in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for upto 2 weeks or in the freezer for upto 3-4 weeks
Here are some more Halwa recipes for you to try:
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