A common explanation most Moms give to encourage eating vegetables like carrots is this: ‘Have you ever seen a rabbit with glasses?’ And yes, you’ll be really hard pressed to find a specs-wearing bunny outside cartoons! Jokes apart, carrots have a host of nutritional benefits, particularly for young children, making them a must-eat vegetable!
Nutritional Benefits of Carrots for Kids
- Good source of dietary fiber, encouraging healthy digestion and bowel movements
- Rich in Vitamin A, improving eyesight and preventing night blindness
- Rich in beta-carotene, increasing protection against serious diseases like cancer
- Chewing carrots encourages the production of saliva and helps to maintain dental health
There are several ways to feed kids carrots, like sweet carrot rice or carrot cheese paratha. However, today we’re going traditional with an irresistible carrot halwa recipe, a yummy winter treat. My son is so fond of it that he prefers eating his chapathi with halwa! It’s a combination I enjoy as well, and we indulge ourselves during the winter.
Gajar Halwa Recipe for Kids
Ingredients
- 1 kg carrots, grated
- 500 ml milk
- 1-2 tbsp ghee
- 250 g khoya (evaporated milk solids, also known as mawa)
- 400 gm sugar
- Dry fruits of your choice (almonds, cashew nuts, raisins)
Method
1. In a heavy bottom pan, add the grated carrots and milk. Let it simmer on a low flame, stirring frequently.
2. When the milk is significantly reduced and about to dry, add sugar.
3. As it cooks, the sugar will release water. Continue to cook it on a low heat, stirring occasionally. At this point, you can also add a tablespoon of dry fruit powder to make it richer and yummier!
4. As it begins to dry up, add ghee and stir continuously. When it is completely dry, add khoya and mix well. Follow with the dry fruits.
You can serve the halwa warm, or chill it in the fridge if you’d like it cold. The latter is recommended for summers, when you can eat it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – yum!
Author
Kanika has a Masters in computer science and is now a stay at home mom to a cute little boy, Onish. She loves to cook and tries new and yummy recipes to get her fussy toddler to eat healthy.
- 1 kg carrots, grated
- 500 ml milk
- 1-2 tbsp ghee
- 250 g khoya (evaporated milk solids, also known as mawa)
- 400 gm sugar
- Dry fruits of your choice (almonds, cashew nuts, raisins)
- In a heavy bottom pan, add the grated carrots and milk. Let it simmer on a low flame, stirring frequently.
- When the milk is significantly reduced and about to dry, add sugar.
- As it cooks, the sugar will release water. Continue to cook it on a low heat, stirring occasionally.
- As it begins to dry up, add ghee and stir continuously. When it is completely dry, add khoya and mix well. Follow with the dry fruits.