Kasi / White pumpkin Halwa

Wishing you all a very happy & safe Diwali!! Sweets play a vital role in the celebration of Diwali and its always a pleasure to share it with our friends & neighbours. As Diwali is heading up, most of us have a big question of the sweets we are going to make this Diwali. I thought to share this recipe as it is less time consuming with less effort. Kasi halwa takes priority in most of the South Indian weddings & I always like it for its glossy & melt in mouth texture. Lets get into the preparation of this easy & delicious halwa..

Kasi Halwa Recipe

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2
Category : Sweet | Cuisine : South Indian

Ingredients

White pumpkin (grated) - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cashews - 7 broken
Edible camphor - a tiny pinch
Food color - a pinch

Method

1. Peel off the skin of the white pumpkin and discard the seeds. Grate the fleshy white part and reserve the juice you get while grating.

2. In a pan heat a tsp of ghee and roast the cashews till golden brown and set aside.

3. In the same pan add a tbsp of ghee and put in the grated pumpkin and saute till the raw smell leaves. Then add the reserved water to it and cover it with a lid till it becomes soft and cooked.

4. Once it gets cooked well, add sugar and mix well. Now add the food color too.

5. Stir it continuosly till it becomes glossy and transparent. Add a tbsp of ghee. It will form a mass and leave the sides of the pan. At this stage add the cardamom, edible camphor, roasted cashews and remaining ghee and give it a quick stir. Switch off the flame and serve warm.

Points to be noted:

• Add sugar only after the pumpkin is well cooked. If you add before it will never get cooked again and will become hard.
• Add just a tiny pinch of edible camphor.