Indian carrot halwa (Gajar ka halwa)

1. Peel the carrots and grate them on the fine side of a grater. Roughly chop the cashews and almonds.

2. Bring the grated carrot and milk to the boil in a wide, heavy-based pan, then cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 45-50 minutes until the milk has almost completely evaporated and the carrot has thickened into a dense, creamy mass.

3. Add the sugar (the mixture will become slightly runny again) and keep cooking for 10-15 minutes until it thickens once more.

4. In a small frying pan, fry the cashews and almonds in 1 tablespoon of the ghee until golden, then add the raisins and fry for half a minute until they plump up.

5. Stir the rest of the ghee and the cardamom into the halwa and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes until glossy and coming away from the sides of the pan. Finally fold in the toasted nuts and raisins.

6. Serve warm, on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tip: North India's classic winter dessert, made in the season of Delhi's sweet red carrots. The long, patient cooking gives its deep caramelised flavour, so don't rush it. For a quicker version, replace some of the milk with sweetened condensed milk and reduce the sugar.