Pakistan – Gajrela (Carrot and Rice Pudding )

by Dahiza Umar

INTRODUCTION TO THE DISH

This is the special dish made on occasions like wedding, festivals dinner and many special days on lunch and dinner as a sweet dish or even can be served on tea party or high ti occasion.

This dessert is made by carrots when cooked in the milk with some rice and sugar until the milk gets thick and color of carrots just infused in the milk and make it light pinkish dessert to admire the taste of every person .

A bad dessert can ruin the meal. 

DESSERTS OF PAKISTAN

Desserts are made especially when the winters arrived many kinds of halwa are made and consume in huge quantity by the people of punjab in Pakistan because they served hot and when eat in the winters like negative four degree Celsius it give the soothing and cozy feel to body and tongue to admire the taste of this warm desserts.

Many shops are just sell the warm dessert like carrot halwa and many more things like this in winters but this warmth cozy carrot halwa has one cold version when cooked in milk and rice it is served cold but as per weather and personal choice it is served either cold and warm according to the atmosphere. There are many carrot desserts made like

• Carrot halwa
• Carrot meethai
• Gajrela
• Carrot pudding etc

HISTORY

This dish has roots from the royal family and can be named as royal dessert but have some variations are made according to new ingredients and taste evolution. The royal served this dish by adding huge amount of the dry fruits in it and make it like a dense version of the same gajrela made now a days. It is not wrong to said that this dish is originated form the Mughal family but now is made by some evolved version of that dish.

This dish is like thick consistency but it is when cooked more to make it like more denser and solid the hard meethai type thing is made by the same ingredients and cooking method but just make it more solid and dense.

TIME REQUIRED

• Preparation time : 20 minutes
• Cooking time : 2 hours
• Total time : 2 hours and 20 minutes

NUTRITIONAL ASPECTS

• Calories : 300
• Protein : 5 grams
• fat : 60 grams
• Carbohydrates : 55 grams

INGREDIENTS

• Graded carrots : 1 cup
• Milk : 2 liters
• Rice : 1/2 cup
• Sugar : 1 cup
• Almonds : 3 tbsp
• Coconut : 3 tbsp
• Walnuts : 4 tbsp
• Rose water : 2 tbsp
• Pistachios : 5 tbsp
• Cardamon powder : 1 tsp
• Khoya ( milk solids ) : 1 cup

METHOD OF COOKING

• Take a large pot and grade the carrots on it like shown in the picture below

• Now take milk in the cooking pot and put it on medium flame.
• When milk starts to simmer add soaked rice and carrots into it and start cooking in low heat by stirring it continuously so it may not burn from the bottom of the pan
• Now when milk starts reducing and thickened add sugar and cardamom powder into it.
• And again make it simmer on low flame until the milk get thick consistency and make creamy texture, add khoya ( milk solids ) into it.
• Now add rose water with dry fruits into it and serve it.
• You can serve it warm or cold choice is yours.
• Enjoy!

COURSE : DESSERT/ SNACK

CUISINE : PAKISTAN, ASIAN

SERVINGS : 4 PERSON