Nutrition in karats

Have you heard that carrots are worth the other 'karat' (as in gold!)? This is in terms of the nutritional value in them! I see plenty of carrots right now: both the red and thick, ready to be grated and made into gajrela and the smaller, thinner orange version that spells magic into salads and stir fries. Spell magic with carrot The best role that this winter vegetable can play? Chomp on one as it is an excellent snack! Carrot is an all rounder and can be a part of all the meals throughout the day! Start with a smoothie or juice. Take a salad or pulao for lunch, or then have a pickle, finish with soup for dinner and dessert. Smoothie is a quick whir of carrots, tomatoes and celery in the blender with a salt, pepper and lemon juice. If you like it, add crushed ice. Last year at a show in the US, I made these small starters with carrot: Saute some onions, ginger and garlic. Add a few chopped button mushrooms, green chillies, salt and lemon juice. Now saute some neatly cut carrot roundels. Take some paneer cut into triangles. Place carrot roundels in a plate. Over each carrot roundel spread a layer of the mushroom mixture and top it with a paneer triangle. Top them up with more green chillies or jalapenos and serve immediately. They get over too immediately as the very sight of them is attractive. The demand for gajar halwa I remember going to Mahabaleshwar for the famed strawberries some years ago. We had a chance to pull out and have orange baby carrots straight from the field. The tops were attached and they had the perfect 'picture book' look. That the strawberry field had cauliflower, cabbage and knolknol growing in the furrows is another story! I also recall the time we had an order for gajar halwa for a wedding party when I was still in the hotel industry and at that time the red carrots were still not in season. But the orange ones were available. The client was insistent about the halwa and so asked them to come over for a trial. The colour of the halwa was not the traditional red, the texture too was different, the taste too was different but gajar halwa it was! And good to eat too! Was the client happy? Yes, and we were too. Sweet somethings Gajrela, as gajar halwa is nicknamed in the northern states, is the must dessert in winter. Our neighbour in Delhi had this peculiar liking for heating the halwa on the tawa and sauteing it to a crispy brown version. And then he would ask for vanilla ice cream to top it. On a cold winter night. I have tried it and it is superb (if you are not too bothered about the nutritional content of this twosome!). This same household made the best gajar ka murabba in our neighbourhood. It seems like eons have passed since I had gajar ka murabba. I have made use of gajar halwa in fusion desserts like a gajar halwa and sponge sizzler: sponge cake soaked in orange juice and sandwiched with gajar halwa and sizzled with rabdi. I have also made a recipe where I have removed some of the sugar content of the halwa by replacing it with chopped dates. Also try the gajar barfi and gajar ki kheer but the fact remains that gajar halwa, made the traditional way with khoya and nuts, is one of the most popular Indian desserts. Pickles and preserves Coming to other creations with carrots. Gajar matar ki sabzi. Gajar matar beans ka pulao. One more Punjabi favourite is the gajar gobhi shalgam achar made with mustard oil, ground mustard seeds, jaggery and vinegar. As it ferments with passage of time, the vegetables become softer, the colour darkens and as soon as the jar is opened the mouth waters due to the aroma that comes out. I love it and have actually asked my mother to prepare a jar of it this month. Another common winter offering from up North is the gajar ki kanji (made with purple carrots more often). As kids take to the terrace for kite flying this beverage is serve straight from the matka.cool, pungent, loaded with vitamins.this is one of favourite childhood memories of Delhi. Versatile vegetable So whether it is soup or a salad (rustle one up quickly: grated carrots, sliced apples, raisins and roasted cashew nuts with dressing of salad oil and lemon juice), or a hot and soft porridge of dalia (broken wheat) boiled with carrots and peas and topped with butter, carrots prove their versatility again and again. Will end now with something sweet for the cake tin. Recipecorner Golden Pineapple Carrot Coffee Cake

n Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 6' cake tin with oil.

n In a medium sized bowl, mix together 1 cup grated carrots, 250 grams chopped tinned pineapple. Add 1/3 cup orange juice and mix. Add 1/3 cup sugar, 11/2 teaspoon

coffee powder and mix. Break one egg into it and mix.

n Sift 11/2 cups refined flour and 11/2 teaspoons soda bicarbonate into the egg mixture. Mix with a light hand. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder, a pinch of salt and mix. Add 3 tablespoons oil and mix.

n Pour the batter into the greased cake tin.

n In another bowl mix together 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder. Sprinkle this over the cake batter.

n Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C for twenty to twenty

five minutes.

n Cool slightly. Slice and serve.