Halwa is a traditional sweet that can be made with grains as well as veggies. I love the dessert kind made with veggies and/or fruits. Many veggies in the cucurbits and many root veggies can be made into delicious halwa. Pumpkins are such a versatile veggie that they taste great as a savory veggie or as a dessert.
One thing that we learned from our parents is that any saatvik food that is cooked is offered to God and then enjoyed by us. So, any sweet, savory, snacks, rice, fruits, or even yogurt is first offered to God. Halwa made with fruits and veggies are a great alternative to the kheer and they are a perfect neivedhyam. There are many varieties of pumpkin and they taste great when made as desserts and give a wide range of possibilities for making something new from the regular menu. I made the yellow pumpkin halwa for this Navratri. As usual, we love these halwas. I made this with the yellow pumpkin (aka parangikai in Tamil) from Mrs. Revathi's garden. She shared her produce with me and I made a few sweets and savories in addition to regular curries. Enjoyed her yellow pumpkin and Thanks again Revathi.
I am posting this for the Blogging Marathon #118 Neivedhyam recipes. Check here to know what my fellow bloggers are making.
Ingredients
makes 1 cup
Yellow parangikai - 4 cups, grated
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Cardamom - 1, crushed
Ghee - 6 tsp
Cashew - 2 tbsp
Sultanas/Raisins - 2 tbsp
Method
In a pan, heat about 4 tsp of ghee. Add the grated yellow pumpkin and sauté till it is tender but not mushy. This may take about 10 min.
Add sugar and crushed cardamom. Once the sugar is added, the mixture tends to be watery. Cook down till almost all the water has evaporated. The halwa will slide from the spatula without sticking. That's the perfect stage. Overcooking after this stage may result in sugar crystallizing.
In another pan, heat 2 tsp ghee. Add cashews and when they are turning golden, add the sultanas. Then add it to the halwa. Serve warm.
Tips
The pumpkin can also be cooked in milk which gives a fudge kind of taste.
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