The chill of the winters keeps knocking on Delhi’s doors, as the cold breeze blows in the afternoons, making way for even chillier nights. The joy of this winter lies in the gentle sunshine that filters through in the mornings and afternoons, as if to lend elixir for the rest of the year. Right on cue, I instinctively take to deciding what dish to cook that’ll complement the weather. It was then, while grating almost three kilograms of red carrots yesterday, that it struck me how versatile this particular winter vegetable is. At my grandmother’s place, at any given point of the day in this season, one can find batons of carrots drying on a muslin cloth in the garden.
They are being prepared for the gajargobhi- shaljam achaar. She makes two kinds of the achaars - one which is slightly sweet and one which is fermented and has a tinge of sourness to it and a kick of spice. “Always cut the carrot batons slightly thicker when making achaar” she shares, as the thicker batons retain their crunch even when the achaar ages.
As one crosses the beautifully sunlit kitchen, you can see the steam coming out of a pan as the vegetable sizzles in it. There is gajar-matar subzi being prepared on one side and hot phulkas which are puffing like tiny balloons on the other. A hot ghee smeared phulka with the sweet gajar-matar subzi is one of the comfort meals that one can relish at home in the winters.
“I can’t even imagine making Tehri without carrots in the winters”, shares Khushbhoo Sharma, a resident of Sector 78 in Noida. Tehri is a vegetable pulao, native to the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the rice is cooked with minimal spices and vegetables like peas, carrots and cauliflowers. The sweetness of the carrots and peas lend to the delicate flavours of this comfort dish, which one tops with ghee and curd. But red carrots aren’t the only types that one gets during this time of the year.
The black carrots are seen in abundance in the Subzi Mandis. Soon jars of black carrot kanji will be made. A fermented probiotic drink made using black carrots and mustard , Kanji helps one prepare the gut for the changing season. A pungent beverage which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but those who love it swear by it. With Christmas being next week, how can one forget the carrot cake that will also find its place on the festive tables along with the boozy plum cakes.
With a frosting of cream cheese and nutty flavours that the cinnamon lends to the cake, it truly is one of the simplest delights that one can savour. Over time, what you come to realise is that the humble carrot is a mainstay of many of our favourite dishes. The ubiquitously popular dessert, gajar ka halwa, bears rich cultural significance to the food of northern India.
Carrots started growing in India after it found its way here through Afghanistan, with the first generation of Dutch traders. Having entered the country through the north-western frontier, carrots became ubiquitous to the food of Punjab. As the state started creating dishes with one of the most readily available vegetables, one of the innovations used carrots in desserts.
With dairy being available readily, the amalgamation of carrots with it created the gajar ka halwa— and us in Delhi adopted it readily, given the influence that Punjab has on Delhi’s food. Today, gajar ka halwa is readily found in pretty much every sweet shop in the city, and is made at homes to celebrate winter weekend luncheons and dinner parties alike. The gajar halwa retains its identity even in versions found across the country—be it in Kolkata or in Mumbai. You wouldn’t be pushing it too far if you were to state that the humble carrot is often mightier than many a fancy ingredient.