If you have grew up in a household where  winter meant one thing, gajar halwa, you are not alone. The arrival of those vibrant red carrots at the market signals the warm, cozy winter evenings with warm desserts.

But what if i tell you that there is a lighter, creamier and visually stunning apart from the gajar ka halwa.Try carrot rasmalai(gajar rasmalai).

Rich and Creamy Carrot Rasmalai for Festivals | Easy Rasmalai Recipe for Beginners

Carrot rasmalai 

This unique dessert is a delightful twist on the traditional rasmalai, here instead of soft cheesy balls we use carrots and semolina to make soft and melt in mouth dumplings dipped in a thickened cardamom-scented milk. The best part is that it uses a clever hack to achieve a pinkish orange hue without a drop of artificial colour.

Why you will love this recipe 

■ A feast for the eyes: the natural pigment of the carrots give a beautiful orange hue to the milk that looks festive.

■ Unique texture: traditional rasmalai can sometimes become rubbery if overcooked, but the addition of semolina ensures these balls remain soft and spongy.

■ Winter special: specially it utilizes sweet red carrots which are peak in sweetness and nutrition during winter months.

■ No extra efforts: you do not need to make cheese balls from scratch or worry about kneading dough for hours, this recipe is forgiving and beginner friendly.

Ingredients needed

To get the perfect texture and taste, let us look the ingredients.

● 2 medium sized carrots: peel and slice into rounds.

● ½ cup liquid milk: used for grinding the carrots into a smooth paste.

● 750ml - 1 litre full milk: for the malai 

● ½ cup fine semolina: acting as a binding agent for the carrot balls.

● 1 tsp of ghee: adds a nutty aroma and prevents the carrot dough from sticking to bottom of pan.

● Sugar

● Cardamom powder: for that signature Indian dessert aroma.

Step by step recipe guide

Step 1: the start phase 

1. Start by washing, peeling and slicing carrots into rounds.

2. Put the carrots into blender with ½ cup liquid milk and blend until smooth paste.

Blending carrots with milk

3. Take out 2 teaspoon of raw carrot paste and set it aside, which we will put in boiling milk to get a creamy orange colour.

Prepared carrot paste

Step 2: making the carrot dough

1. Heat a deep pan or kadai and add 1 tsp of ghee.

Adding ghee

2. Once the ghee melts add 1 tsp of sugar directly. This process slightly caramelizes the sugar  for deepen flavour.

Adding sugar to ghee

3. Pour the remaining carrot paste into the pan and cook for a minute.

Cooking the remaining carrot paste

4. Now add ½ cup of semolina and stir continuously, the mixture will absorb moisture rapidly.

Adding the semolina and cooking with the carrot paste

5. The dough should become thick and start pulling away cleanly from sides of the pan.

6. Once it forms a lump and does not stick, take it from the heat and into a plate, let it cool slightly.

Cooling the prepared carrot dough

Step 3: rolling and steaming

1. Once the dough enough to handle then grease your palms with oil.

2. Knead the dough slightly then pinch off small portions to roll into balls crackfree and smooth.

Making carrot balls from the dough

3. Take a perforated plate and brush some oil and place it upon boiling water.

4. Now place the carrot balls on the plate and cover with a lid and steam for 5 minutes.

Steaming the prepared carrot balls

5. This step ensures that the shape of the balls remain intact and do not disintegrate in the milk.

Step 4: preparing the thickened milk

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan and pour the full milk and start boiling, let it simmer until it thickens slightly.

Heating the milk to thicken it

2. Now add the carrot paste reserved earlier into the boiling milk it will transform the milk to a beautiful creamy pinkish orange colour.

Adding the reserved carrot paste to the reducing milk

3. Add ½ cup of sugar and a pinch of cardamom powder to the milk.

Adding sugar and cardamom powder to the milk

Step 5: the final dip 

1. Once the milk turns creamy and sugar is dissolved, lower the heat to gentle and drop the steamed carrot balls into the milk.

When milk is creamy add the steamed carrot balls into the milk

2. Let the balls sit in the hot milk and cover it, simmer it gently for few minutes.

3. The balls will swell up as they are soaked in the milk and would float on the surface.

The balls will float on the surface when ready

4. Turn off the heat and let it rest, the longer, the better it tastes.

Tips for pro taste

● Do not skip steaming: Steaming ensures that the protein in the semolina gets set ensuring that they hold their shape perfectly.

● Release dough test: when cooking the carrot dough ensure that it must get released from the pan entirely, it will stick if too wet and if crumbling it is too dry.

● Oiling hands: Oiling the palms ensure you get smooth, round balls without cracks as the dough can be sticky, the cradcks may cause the balls to break apart when soaked.

● Natural colour: The carrot paste when added to the milk, it acts as a game changer giving a gourmet colour to the thickened milk.

Serving carrot rasmalai

1. As the dessert is versatile you can serve it warm, fresh off the stove which is comforting in winter.

2. As traditional rasmalai it tastes best if it is refrigerated for 2-3 hours, let the milk gets thickened giving it a wonderful taste.

Rich and Creamy Carrot Rasmalai for Festivals | Easy Rasmalai Recipe for Beginners

Storing the leftovers

● Store in an airtight container and refrigerate it which can be kept for upto 3 days.

Health benefits 

While this is a dessert but the ingredients pack a surprisingly nutrients.

1. The power of red carrots: red carrots are rich in lycopens, the same contained in tomatoes, it is a antioxidant associated with improved heart health and reduce cancer risk. It also contains carotene.

2. Semolina for sustained energy: Semolina is high in protein and fiber, which helps to keep full longer. It is also a great source of iron, magnesium and minerals supporting RBCs production and heart health.

3. Ghee, the golden fat: ghee is rich in butyric acid, which is a short-chain fatty acid promoting gut health and fights inflammation, also aids in absorption of fat soluble vitamins in carrot and milk.

FAQs 

Can i use orange carrots if i can't find red ones?

Yes, absolutely. Orange carrots are available year round and rich in vitamin A and lutein but are less sweet than red carrots, so you have to add more sugar to the dough.