Description:
White Pumpkin Halwa or Kasi Halwa is a sweet usually made during festivals and special occasions. Mostly all wedding engagements ceremonies will have this on the menu. This mouth watering halwa which is also called as “Kasi Halwa” is prepared with Winter melon / White Pumpkin / Ash Gourd / Donggua / Poosanikai , milk and sugar. I have no clue as to why its called kasi halwa, may be readers can help me with an explanation. My guess is that it taste so heavenly and probably named it Kasi Halwa!!
Kasi Halwa / Ash Gourd Halwa / Vellai Poosanikai Halwa / Winter Melon / Donggua / Pooshankkai Halwa / Boodida Gummaikaya Halwa / காசி அல்வா / பூசணிக்காய் அல்வா / Ven Poosani Halwa
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 3 cups | Grated Pumpkin |
| 1+ 1/2 cup | Milk |
| 3/4 cup | Sugar |
| 2 nos | Cardamom (powdered) |
| 10 Nos | Cashews |
| 3 tbsp | Ghee |
| 1 pinch | Yellow food color |
Instructions:
We need about 3 to 4cups of white pumpkin (about 1/4 of a whole pumpkin) to get 1 cup of grated, squeezed pumpkin pulp.
Using a food processor, grate them finely.
This would roughly yield 2 and 1/2 cups of grated pumpkin. Squeeze out all the water and keep the pumpkin fiber aside.
This would yield 1 cup and that’s the proportion that we need for this recipe.
Heat a tsp ghee in a pan and toast the cashews until golden.
Remove them from the pan and keep aside. In the same pan add about 1 tbsp ghee and put in the squeezed pumpkin fiber and fry until all the water evaporates or until it becomes dry.
Once done, add sugar and let in melt.
Now add milk and let it simmer.
Add yellow food color, powdered cardamom and 1 tsbp ghee.
Simmer until the milk condenses or until it thickens to halwa consistency. You may add the remaining ghee while it simmers. This process will take about 15 minutes over low medium flame. The halwa becomes thick and will have a shinny look. Switch off and serve.
Notes:
Yield: 1 and 1/2 cup approx.
Pumpkin drastically reduces in portion so make sure you use the above portion of sugar for the squeezed out pumpkin pulp. Also make sure the pumpkin gets fully cooked before adding sugar.