Gajjar Ka Halwa and 54 Other Reasons to be Happy, Pakistan! (Thanks, Osman Samiuddin at Cricinfo.com!)

All right!  Pakistan lost once again to South Africa.  Tell me something I didn't know!  But there really isn't any point in getting all sad about it.  In fact, I was rather happy to see Younis Khan in action.  You must remember that I only started watching cricket in June of this year, so last night was the first time I've ever seen YK play, and it was glorious.  

As we say in French:  Younis Khan, you ROCQUE!!!

What style, what authority, what je ne sais quoi.  I loved every single one of those 54 runs!  That certainly was the highlight of my day.  Hafeez also had a great innings; he and YK had a great partnership and it was great to see such good teamwork.  All I can say is keep it up, and let's hope some of that magic rubs off on the middle and lower-order batsmen!  You can do it, and have some of this delicious gajjar ka halwa (carrot sweet/candy/dessert) to help you on your way to victory.

The Gajjar Ka Halwa of Happiness
Ingredients
about a pound (500 gr)of carrots, peeled and grated or very finely chopped in a food processor
1.5 litres of full-fat milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) white sugar
1/3 cup (75 ml) or more of butter
6 green cardamom pods, crushed (only crush the seeds, not the green pods!)
    I personally only use 3 cardamom pods as it can be overpowering
optional ingredients
some kishmish (raisins, dried fruit)
some cashews, pistachios, walnuts
4 or 5 strands of saffron
edible silver leaf (varq)

First, crush the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle.  Discard the outer, green shell and continue to crush the seeds to a powder.  Set aside.

 Put the grated carrots and milk in a pot and let it boil, then reduce the heat to medium.

Add the strands of saffron if you want.   Do not use more than 5 strands...5 is sufficient for flavour and colour.  Too much saffron will make the halwa taste of bleach.

Simmer for about 30 minutes until the milk is absorbed.

Add the sugar, butter and cardamom seeds.  Fry for a few minutes.

Add the kishmish and nuts, and fry for a couple of minutes, the carrot mix will turn a darker red.

You can serve this right way in a dish like a pudding, or you can press the mixture into a pan and cut it into squares when it cools down.

If you want to be extra fancy, you can put some edible silver leaf (varq) on top of the gajjar ka halva.

So, to the batsmen on the Pakistan team, Happy Halwa, and Happy Batting!