HOLI TREAT: Quick, tasty & healthy Carrot Kheer in 20 minutes!

Uh-huh? You’ve already kept your Holi colors & siphons ready & colors are already in the air.

Today, to envelope your Holi celebrations with the most tasty & healthy flavors, here’s my first blog post over a recipe! Here’s Carrot Kheer or Carrot Payasam for you, which is very much a part of the Indian cuisine. OH! If you say that my recipe to making turmeric tea was the first; well, that wasn’t a full-fledged recipe to a main course meal, starter nor a dessert, but for a healthy weight loss.

And before I could dive over & over again into the finest descriptions about the taste of the carrot kheer, here’s what you could know about the goodies it comes with. So, take a look, honey! 🙂

What’s healthy about it?

Carrots – Carrots are great for your heart, skin & eyes for the amount of anti-oxidants, beta-carotene & vitamin A in them. They are less fattening as compared to the other common main ingredients into kheer/payasam varieties. That’s because carrots are known to fight bad cholesterol & therefore, digest fat well. All the more, carrots also protect one from cancer.

Pistachio seeds – Apart from being irresistibly tasty to crunch upon, pistachio or pista seeds are good in terms of blood pressure & sugar. These also are a great deal for people trying to lose weight as they fight cholesterol. Pistachio seeds, most significantly, are rich in proteins & low on calories.

Cashewnuts – Cashewnuts are a powerhouse of vitamins & are high in fiber. Contrary to the belief that these promote fat gain, they are indeed a perfect example of ‘good fat’.

Ghee – Ghee promotes a healthy weight loss, provides satiety & contains lots of fat-soluble vitamins, while adding to taste.

What’s absolutely great about it?

You can give this carrot kheer to your baby as young as 6 months! Doesn’t that make you more happy & excited?

So, let’s head over to the recipe!

How to make Carrot Kheer/Payasam?

Preparation Time:   10 minutes

Cooking Time      : 10  minutes

Serves                    : 5-6

Ingredients:

Carrots                               – 500 grams
Pasteurized milk           – 1 litre or 750ml (based on your consistency choice)
Sugar                                – 6-7 tablespoons
Ghee                                     – 3 tablespoons
Soaked Cashewnuts    – 10-12 nos.

Pistachio seeds               – 12-14 nos.

Powdered Cardamom – 1 teaspoon

Preparation

1. Soak cashewnuts in lukewarm water for about 10 minutes. Also, peel the washed carrots & put them for boiling. I normally boil them in the pressure cooker; so that makes it faster.
2. Rinse the water from the carrots & set them to cool. Or you could just place them under the fan.
3. Chop the boiled carrots & add them into the blender jar. At the same time, add the soaked cashewnuts to the blender too, to make a smooth blend looking like this. Cashewnuts add a lot of natural sweetness to the carrot paste, thereby reducing the need for sugar required later.
4. In a wok or a kadhai, add ghee. Wait for it to warm for about 5-10 seconds before adding the carrot-cashew paste. Add a little water if you do not want a thick consistency for the carrot kheer.
5. Add milk & keep stirring so as not to get the bottom burnt.
6. Wait for a slight simmer before adding sugar.
7. Stir further while adding the cardamom powder.
8. Wait for the kheer to come to a boil.
9. Wait for it to cool before serving as you hold your temptations back 😉 The hot version may not be as appealing as the warmer or chilled one.
10. Garnish with the ground pistachio seeds. You could grind the seeds to either form a coarse or fine powder, depending upon your liking.

You’re all set for your Holi dessert.

The perfect CARROT KHEER/PAYASAM!

Let me know how you’re going to relish the kheer this festive season in the comments.

Here’s me wishing you & your family a very happy & enjoyable HOLI!

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