In Pakistan, this is only made when carrots are in season and deep red, which is when the weather is cold. We eat it warm, with a little bit of fresh cream, which feels indulgent and healing.
Almost everyone in my family makes a different version of this dish, and when I made it for the Home Away From Home event, it didn't taste like any of them. Because the recipe is pretty vague, each person in my family makes it according to their own taste and in that way it's like a fingerprint or representation of them.
When I asked my mother for her recipe, she must have told my grandparents because my grandfather (on my mom's side) and my grandmother (on my dad's side) sent me their recipes, too. Each recipe was totally different, had different cues and quantities and ideals embedded in it. This version is my mixture of the three, because I am a mixture of them all — and it has felt overwhelming and enjoyable to reflect on that.
Ingredients
6 carrots
400ml whole milk (cannot substitute plant-based)
½ cup sugar
4 whole green cardamom pods, crushed slightly
¼ cup ghee (can be substituted with butter or neutral oil)
Pistachios and almonds, sliced thinly (optional)
Method
1) Grate the carrots.
2) Add the carrots, ghee, and cardamom pods to a pot and fry on medium-high. Initially, the carrots will release a lot of steam — keep frying them until their color deepens and the steam reduces significantly (the volume will go down by 30–40%).
3) Reduce heat to medium-low and add a quarter of the milk. Stir like a risotto, cooking until the carrots have absorbed almost all the milk. Repeat until you've added all the milk. At this point the carrots should be totally softened. If they haven't, add more milk and keep cooking — once you add the sugar they won't continue to soften.
4) Add the sugar to taste. When you add the sugar the color will deepen slightly and the texture will change.
5) On low heat, continue to cook until almost all liquid has evaporated, the light color of the milk has faded, and the fat has separated out (it will sound like sizzling instead of wet boiling).
6) Add a tablespoon more of ghee if you like, and adjust sugar. Add the nuts if using.
