Beetroot halwa

Beetroot halwa - This is one of the easiest halwa almost similar to carrot halwa. It is very tasty and as we all know beetroot has a very nutritional value. The basic ingredients needed for this halwa are beetroot, sugar and milk.

Ingredients (1 cup = 250ml)
Beetroot - 4 cups full grated
Sugar - 2 cups
Milk - 1 and half cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - 2 to 3
Saffron strands (optional)
Badam, cashew and rasins - 6 to 8 of each.
Melon seeds - a few for garnishing (optional)
Method
Wash the beetroot and peel them. Cut the bottom and top, then grate it. Grate it using the side with larger holes so that the strands are larger.
Soak the saffron strands in 2 tbsp of milk. Powder the cardamom.
In a kadai, dry roast the badam and cashews seperately. Let them be light brown. Keep it aside. Add a tsp of ghee and roast the rasins. Keep this aside.
Add the grated beetroot to this kadai. In low flame, saute it for about 10 to 15 minutes. The raw smell of the beetroot should go.
Add the sugar to the kadai. It will dissolve coz of heat and the beetroot will cook in the sugar syrup. It will make it really tasty. This is a long process, you can keep it in low flame and stir occasionally.

When the mixture gets thicker, add the milk, saffron milk and cardamom powder. Keep cooking in low flame till the mixture thickens.
When it is almost thick, add the ghee. Saute it for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the dry fruits.
Garnish with some more dry fruits or melon seeds.