Gajar ka Halwa

I moved away from home and to the US when I was 22.  As a cash-strapped university student, it was hard to maintain a connection with home.  In the pre-social media era, way before zoom or FaceTime was a thing, phone calls were my only connection.  But calling cards were exorbitant ($5 a minute).  Calls were short, to the point: 

Reached US, am eating ok, working hard at college.

Everything is good here in Delhi. 

Ok, bye.  

Bye.

Voicemails from parents were also short, awkward: “This message is for Kanwal Jit Singh.  This is your parents from Delhi.” As if I had a second set of parents in another city.

My first trip back was 3 years after emigrating.  It was the longest time I had ever been away from home up to that point.  

My mom was thrilled to have me back for a visit.  In the morning, as soon as she would hear me stirring in bed, realizing I was about to wake up, she would be at my bedside with a steaming hot bowl of gajar ka halwa and a cup of masala chai.  She knew I liked raisins in my halwa, so there was always a good serving of those.  

Carrot halwa takes hours to prep and cook, start to finish.  The carrots are hand-grated, stewed for hours in milk, sugar and nuts.  Once the heat is reduced, the carrot mixture is cooked yet longer.  All the while, you constantly stir the halwa so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the large, heavy kadhai.  [Jeet]