Gajar Halwa Baklava

Ingredients:

For Gajar Halwa

½ kg grated carrots

3 tablespoons ghee/clarified butter

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder

1 cup milk

¾ cup sugar

1 cup crumbled khoya

2 tablespoons mixed chopped nuts

For Baklava

½ cup melted butter

Phyllo sheets

⅓ cup walnuts

⅓ cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Sugar Syrup

1 cup water

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 teaspoon kewra essence 

2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Directions

For Gajar Halwa

1. Add ghee and grated carrots in a pressure cooker, and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add milk and sugar, stir well, and pressure cook for five whistles. If needed, cook for two more whistles.
3. Open the lid and keep cooking till excess moisture evaporates.
4. Finally, add the khoya and cardamom powder and mix well. Add the chopped nuts and let it cool completely. Place it in the fridge until you're ready to use it to make the Baklava.

For Baklava

1. Take readymade phyllo sheets and cut them into long rectangles.
2. Brush ghee on the sheet, place a spoonful of gajar halwa in one corner, and fold the sheet into a triangle. It should look like a samosa but with multiple layers of the sheet.
3. Finally, brush ghee on the top and bake it in a preheated oven at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.

For Sugar Syrup 

1. Add sugar and water to a pan and let it boil for about 10 minutes, or until the sugar syrup reaches one-string consistency.
2. Switch off the flame and add honey, lemon juice and kewra essence.
3. Pour this sugar syrup on hot baklavas.
4. Garnish the Baklavas with chopped pistachios and serve.

For Kheer sauce 

1. Make regular rice kheer and flavor it with saffron.
2. Blitz it well, adding some milk to loosen the consistency and make it like a sauce.
3. Strain it or pass it through a sieve to achieve a smooth consistency.
4. Serve this sauce with Gajar Halwa Baklavas.