Gajar Ka Halwa :) 3 Simple Ingredients!! Very Healthy...... Very Tasty!!!

You know how you have those crazy sweet cravings after every meal???

Almost every evening, my hubby and I have this mischievous look in our eye that says.. WHAT'S FOR DESSERT!!!!

Now for the last 3 months we've been on this fitness trip..

We've even managed to lose a few kilos.... AND a few inches!!!

And we've fallen off the wagon only a few times :P ;)

And for legitimates reasons of course!!... Weddings, Offices parties, Birthdays, Sundays........

So I thought to my self this morning, what if I substituted all the unhealthy ingredients in any dessert... with some healthy options... without affecting the taste so much??

The first dessert that popped into my head was the classic Gajar ka Halwa!!!

Doesn't require too many ingredients and is super simple to make..

But the challenge was to eliminate all the unhealthy ingredients: Ghee, Mawa, Sugar & Cashew nuts

In the recipe that follows, you will see how I have Successfully (Cheeky Eh?) managed to maintain the flavor, texture and aroma of the traditional Gajar ka Halwa, all the while keeping it extremely healthy..

So for all you people out there, who have this giant sweet tooth but are also the freaky calorie counting types... give this recipe a try..

Take my word for it.. you wont even realize that its been made with only 3 healthy ingredients :)

The Ingredients:

3 Carrots
1 Cup  skimmed milk
1/4 cup Jaggery

 

Step 1: Wash, peel and grate the carrots

Step 2: Cook the Carrots

• Add the grated carrots to a non stick pan
• Note that I am specifically using a non stick pan because I have added NO ghee or butter to the pan
• Cook the carrots on High heat & toss the grated carrots every few minutes using a wooden spoon
• The aim here is to let all the water evaporate and reduce the carrots to about half the initial volume
• You will know that the carrots are done when they turn pale and lose that raw carrot smell

This is what it should look like:

After 5 minutes of cooking...

After 10 minutes of cooking...

At the end of 15 minutes when the carrots are completely done!!

Step 3: Add Milk

• Reduce the flame to Medium heat and add the milk to the cooked carrots
• Stir every few minutes to allow the Carrots to drink all the milk and become this lovely creamy mixture

This is what it should look like:

After 5 minutes of cooking...

At the end of 10 minutes when the milk has completely reduced...

Step 4: Add the Jaggery

• Once you add the jaggery, the thickened mixture will liquefy again

This is how it will look

• Stir constantly till you get that creamy texture again

• Turn off the gas
• Add a little cardamom powder for some lovely aroma and added flavor
• Pour out the mixture in a serving Bowl

Garnish With roasted Pistachios and DIG IN!!!

Burgers!!! Super easy.. Super YUMMMMMM!!!

What do you do when you are home alone on a Sunday evening..... and Super hungry!?!?!

Cooking a whole meal can be super tedious for just one person and ordering pizza is not really exciting when you have no chilled Beer to go with it :(

So i pulled myself up and decided to give my kitchen a quick scan to see if i could quickly cook up something super fast and super yummy...

Hmmmm.. there is some sweet bun, which my hubby and I had left over from our usual Sunday morning 'Bun maska chai' breakfast..

Some veggies.. BORING.........

Oh what's that!! Iceberg Lettuce!! where have u been hiding!!

Now I have never ever made burgers.. so obviously I want to make a couple today!!

That is what is unique about Cheeky chefs.. we try our hands at new stuff every time and never ever make the same thing twice.. at least not in the same way!

So if you see another post about burgers on our blog, we've probably gone a whole other way in that one..

Right..... So lets get started..................

Step 1: Boil Potatoes

• One medium sized Potato
• Peel it, chop it into small chunks and add to boiling water
• Adding half a tea spoon of salt to the water helps add a lovely flavor to the potato
• Cover the potatoes with a lid & turn off the gas
• Let the potatoes cook in the steam while you get the remaining ingredients ready

Step 2: Chop the Veggies

• One medium sized Onion thinly sliced into rings
• One medium sized Tomato thinly sliced
• Two lettuce leaves

Step 3: Making the Potato Patty

• Mash the Boiled Potato
• Add dried herbs (Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Pepper, Chilly flakes etc)
• Add a little salt
• Combine everything
• Take two big dollops in your hand and roll them into two golf sized balls
• Flatten them on your palms into Patties

Step 4: Pan Fry the Patties

• Add  little butter on a non stick frying Pan
• Fry the patties on medium heat till they turn golden brown & crunchy on both sides

Side 1

Side 2

Step 5: Toast the Burger Buns

• Add a little butter to the non stick frying pan
• Give the buns a quick toss in the butter on both sides to get a slightly crunchy & greasy texture

Step 6: Assemble the Burger!!

Layer 1: Lettuce

Layer 2: Mayo/Mustard/Any Salad dressing

Layer 3: Onion Rings

Layer 4: Tomatoes

Layer 5: Patty

Layer 6: More Onions & Tomatoes

Layer 7: Tomato Ketchup

Layer 8: Seasoning (Mixed herbs)

Layer 9: More Lettuce

Layer 10: The top Bun!!!

And Voila!!

Two Scrumptious Burgers!!

I literally had to hold myself down to take this picture!!

Gobbled down the first one in less than a Minute! 

Super duper Yummy!! 

Super duper Quick!!

Hold the Presses!! The 'Cheeky Chefs' are making an Entrance!!!!

What happens when an Engineer, an MBA and a fancy schmancy Real Estate Corporate get into a kitchen??!!??

Chaos.. Havoc.. and ultimately.. an Explosion!!!

And what do you do when, for some cockeyed reason, you want a repeat of that?!?!?! Regularly!

Amidst all those flaring nerves, flying tempers, screaming matches, blame games, disagreements & the aforementioned explosions... the end result is, more often than not, what you romantic nincompoops with cliched bumper stickers call, 'Magic'!

Because all kidding aside, we DO put out some... honest to God... lovely and soothing comfort food.. cooked straight from the heart.. 

EVERY TIME! .... (Alright Alright i'll stop with the honey dripping nonsense!!)

So WHY do we call our selves cheeky??

We are calling ourselves Chefs aren't we!!
Not Cooks.. CHEFS!!
The AUDACITY!!

We think we KNOW food.. Understand BALANCE, believe we can marry wild FLAVORS... and other such nonsense.........

But underneath all this cockiness, we promise you this, You WILL come back for seconds when we serve you those generous dollops of great tasting delights :) ..... (OK where is that mute button!)

Cheeky Chefs are all about:

• Creating New Recipes

• Combining Crazy Flavors

• Tantalizing your Taste Buds.....

Not limiting ourselves to the above mentioned romantic faff, we will also try to help YOU create some of that 'Magic' in your own kitchen!

• Want to make that creamy caramel custard at home?
• Think that street Pav bhaji will be a healthier food option cooked at home, if you JUST got all the ingredients right?
• Ever wondered what makes that Puff pastry oh so orgasmic!!
• Always wanted to know what the heck goes into that Biryani?

Cheeky chefs will help you figure it out..... Because we are an eccentric trio of idiosyncratic idiots.

The Retarded Engineer who moonlights as a Savory food genius..

The Hyperventilating MBA who is a Natural baker on a alter ego..

And The Foodie who quadruples as a Food Critic, Guinea Pig, Photographer & a Budding Chef who more often than not, WILL surprise you with his simple yet prefect combination of soulful food :)

So should we begin this NAIL BITING (OK i'm done seriously DONE with the Drama!!) Journey called Cooking!!

Lets get on with it you dreamy eyed bozos...............................