Food creator called a ‘genius’ for making Dubai-style chocolate bar with gajar ka halwa

Sanjana Modha, who enjoys giving traditional recipes a remix, took to her Instagram account and shared her recipe for creating the viral chocolate that continues to be enjoyed by many (Screengrabs: @sanjana.feasts/Instagram)

The ‘Dubai Chocolate’ may have been replicated many times, but a food creator gave a unique twist to the bar by swapping the pistachio filling with homemade gajar ka halwa. The end result looked delicious and worth indulging in, even though Diwali is over.

Sanjana Modha, who enjoys giving traditional recipes a remix, took to her Instagram account and shared her recipe for creating the viral chocolate that continues to be enjoyed by many. In the video, she first grated fresh carrots and tossed them in a pan, adding milk and sugar to create a rich paste. Finally, she added cardamom powder to make it flavourful and stirred the mix.

Next, the digital food creator took a silicone mould and layered it with white chocolate, carefully coating the sides. She froze it and, once cooled, filled it with gajar ka halwa. Another layer of milk chocolate was added on top, after which she put it in the freezer to set. Her final touch included edible gold dust, which made it look all glowed-up.

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A post shared by Sanjana Modha (@sanjana.feasts)

In the caption, Sanjana joked, “Gajar ka Halwa Dubai-Style Chocolate Bar… I need you to make a pact with me RIGHT NOW that you won’t tell my mum I did this with our family halwa recipe. Deal?”

She also shared a few tips to help everyone get it right without wasting any ingredients:

Reinforce the sides of the moulds: You can do this with an extra layer or two of chocolate so it’s strong enough to hold the halwa. First, coat with a thin layer of chocolate, chill it, and then reinforce the sides with brushstrokes of thicker chocolate to prevent breaking. Chill again before adding the completely cooled halwa.

Grate your carrots using the fine side of the grater: Not only will the carrots cook quickly, but they’ll also create the perfect, uniform texture that packs together tightly inside the bar, whilst maintaining the essential texture required for a good gajar ka halwa.

Cook the carrots in their own liquid before adding milk or sugar: This ensures the carrots retain lots of flavour and don’t become too sticky or caramelised. This is what gives gajar ka halwa its melt-in-the-mouth texture. If sugar is added too early, you risk candying the carrots, which is not ideal for the halwa’s mouthfeel.

Cook the carrots in milk and sugar over medium-low heat: Achieving a melting quality requires time and patience. Cook the carrots, milk, sugar, and saffron low and slow, stirring the halwa all the time to prevent burning. Slow cooking equals more delicious results. Add the cardamom at the end and let it cool completely before adding it to your chocolate mould.
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