Nutritious and flavourful beetroot halwa

Beetroots are rich in iron, vitamin A and zinc. They can be used in salads, soups, stir-fries, cutlets and even rice. Here I’ve used beetroot to make the traditional Indian dessert ‘halwa’. To make a vegan version of this recipe you can replace dairy milk with coconut milk. Just cook the beetroot in water. You can even cook it in a pressure cooker for 5 – 6 whistles. Once the beetroot has softened completely and the water has evaporated, add thick coconut milk to it and cook on low flame, stirring occasionally. Coconut milk may curdle if heated on high flame. To avoid that, cook it on low or medium flame and keep stirring.

Ingredients

Beetroot 500g

Milk 750ml

Sugar 3 – 4 tbsp

Cardamom 3 – 4, crushed

Nutmeg powder, 1/2 tsp

Cashews, halved 10-15

Method

1. Peel and grate the beetroots.
2. Add the milk and beetroot to a thick bottom vessel and heat on high flame.
3. After the first boil, lower the flame to a minimum and add cashews. Let it slow cook till the milk is absorbed and the beet softens completely.
4. Add the cardamoms and nutmeg powder.
5. Continue cooking till the mixture dries.
6. Turn off the flame and garnish with chopped pistachios and almonds.