Carrot Kheer – Anjum Anand’s Mothers’ Day recipe

Hope all you mummy-types out there are getting your feet massaged on the sofa and getting breakfast in bed, etc.

I saw this lovely recipe from Anjum Anand (I LOVE her – I think she’s actually got a new book coming out soon).  She was talking about the fact that she made this with her mum, and now makes it with her daughter, which is exactly how cooking should be.

It’s really difficult to find a dessert to go with Indian food, and this one sounds like it could be a winner.

Anjum says ‘carrot kheer is a light, cold pudding made only with milk, carrots, sugar and almonds but this deceptively simple sounding dessert is a most refreshing and flavourful end to a warm, savoury meal. It is my all time favourite Indian pudding and I would urge my mother to make this whenever she had people coming around, mainly in the spring and summer months. I would then get busy helping my mother in the kitchen, it wasn’t a particularly important job, peeling and grating the carrots, but I enjoyed cooking and felt important when my mother would tell her friends that I made it with her.’

What a perfect recipe for Mother’s Day. I’m determined to give it a go now.  Carrots for pudding, anyone?

Carrot Kheer

Serves 6

1 litre full-fat milk

250g carrots, peeled and grated

3–4 tbsp sugar

Good pinch of saffron strands

1⁄3–1⁄2 tsp green cardamom seeds, powdered

2 tbsp pistachios, chopped

2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted

Caramelized pine nuts, to serve

Heat the milk in a wide, heavy-based saucepan, stirring and scraping the base with the spoon frequently to make sure the milk does not catch and burn. If you are standing at the cooker you can increase the heat and stir constantly, but if you are busy in the kitchen (please do not stray too far!) keep it on a low heat. Keep cooking until it reduces by about one third – this takes about 25 minutes depending on your pan and heat.

Add the carrots and continue cooking for another 15–25 minutes or until they are soft and the milk is as thick as you like it. This is a personal thing – I like it quite thin but others like it quite thick; you will need to keep up the stirring though. Stir in the sugar, saffron and cardamom powder, cook for another 2 minutes and taste for sweetness. Chilling any food dulls its sweetness, so you may need to add a little more than you would deem necessary. Cool and then place in the fridge, covered with clingfilm as milk absorbs flavours from other food in the fridge.

When ready to eat, serve in bowls sprinkled with the nuts.

3 Responses to “Carrot Kheer – Anjum Anand’s Mothers’ Day recipe”

1. Nazima says:

   April 8, 2011 at 11:07 am

   oooh lovely. My mummy is Indian and made this for me all the time as a child. This looks like a lighter version the original does involve some condensed milk I think.. Will give it a try!

   Reply
2. TheGlutton says:

   April 3, 2011 at 11:58 am

   Oh I love carroty desserts…this looks fab.

   Reply
   • English Mum says:

     April 3, 2011 at 3:53 pm

     I don’t think I’ve ever had one before! Oh, unless you count carrot cake..? x

     Reply