Carrot Payasa / Kheer

A special meal cannot be complete without a sweet. And to make it light and simple, what is better than a payasa or kheer? And especially if it involves fresh carrots as the main ingredients, no one can say no to it! Carrots make it as the best veggie to be used in sweets, due to their lovely sweet taste and flavor.

And this one is easy to prepare too... just a few minutes of preparation and out comes a lovely, colorful payasa. This one is my MIL’s recipe and I just love it....

Carrot Payasa

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 5-6 Ingredients: Carrots - 2, medium sized Milk - ½ liter Sugar - ½ to ¾ cup, adjust according to your taste Ghee - 2 tsp Raisins - 10 - 12 Cashews - 10 - 12 Almonds - 5-6 Saffron - a few strands Method: • Wash, peel and grate carrots; it can also be thinly sliced • In a heavy bottomed pan, heat 1 tsp of ghee and add raisins and half the cashews; once done transfer it to a small bowl for garnishing later • Add the remaining ghee and add sliced or grated carrots and sauté till soft. You can cover the lid, to speed up the process. But make sure it is not charred, by stirring it frequently • Towards the end, add the almonds and the remaining cashews and sauté • Once carrots are cooked soft, allow to cool and blend it to a puree in a blender; add milk if needed • Meanwhile bring the milk to boil and once done, transfer the carrot puree and sir • Add sugar and continue stirring till it starts boiling • Garnish with the prepared cashews and raisins and a few saffron strands • Serve hot, warm or chilled. Tips n Tricks: • If the puree is not smooth enough, strain it through a strainer before adding to the milk