Pumpkin Halwa | Glutenfreewhisk

A vegetable turned into a sweet delight. An Indian sweet dish made with yellow pumpkin or pila kaddu is my favorite as it is such a versatile ingredient and can be used in so many ways in both sweet and savory dishes. Be it pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, or this amazing pumpkin halwa recipe. If you are an Indian, you must have had this vegetable on repeat at time because our moms love to make seasonal vegetables on repeat. But the sweet and tangy kaddu ki sabzi is to die for. Khatta mitha kaddu as it is called and if you haven't tried it or even love it then there is something wrong with your system.

Yellow pumpkin has a natural sweetness to it and using this to make a sweet dish is a must. Since yellow pumpkin is most common when winters arrive and is there till march, and winter calls for comforting food. Making yellow pumpkin halwa with jaggery is one of the best winter special dishes that you can treat yourself with. A lot of people with have mixed views on making halwa out of pumpkin as many don't like lauki halwa as well but you have to make it and eat it, and my recipe is just prefect for it.

The crunch from the nuts and fresh coconut will really bring a bite and will change the consistency all together. I was skeptical about adding fresh coconut but this works. If you want, you can roast the coconut a little in ghee separately before adding it. This will add the nuttiness of the recipe. Since, I just love coconut in any way or form so for me unroasted coconut works well.

Yes, eating halwa adds to calories and making pumpkin halwa will not decrease the calorie intake just because it is a vegetable but every once in a while, you deserve to treat yourself without any guilt or counting calories. This yellow pumpkin halwa is for those days when you don't have to count calories and just indulge in good food and make good food memories. Or maybe get new favorites. You can even make pumpkin halwa with white pumpkin, but the taste, texture and the feel will be different. Whenever you want to indulge in Indian desserts especially halwas, I will recommend you to always use jaggery as it enhances the taste. 

I have also added a few spice powders in my halwa as this is a winter special recipe and adding spices in moderation is good for health and gives your body natural warmth in winters. Nutmeg powder goes really well with pumpkin so it is a must. Green cardamom powder is the soul of every halwa after ghee, so it is a no miss. Ginger and cinnamon powder gives an amazing taste and warmth. And every sweet dish is incomplete without a pinch of salt so don't forget to add it. I have added it in the initial step as it not only enhances and balances the sweetness but also helps pumpkin to cook faster by helping it release it natural water.

You can even add pumpkin seeds and melon seeds if you don't want to add nuts. They also go well with this recipe.

If you will ask me to choose between Khatta meetha kaddu sabzi or yellow pumpkin halwa recipe, I won't be able to make a choice. Khatta meetha kaddu has so many memories and pumpkin halwa made for the first time by my mother was heavenly. Choosing will be an unbearable task. Food memories are just so tempting and indulgent that makes you go hungry just by thinking about them.

You can even try my recipe for sattu chocolate halwa recipe that was a chance recipe but a really great blunder that turned into a delight.

INGREDIENTS- 

250 gm Sweet yellow pumpkin, chopped

Handful of chopped nuts of choice

(I have used almonds, cashews, pistachios & raisins)

1 + 2 tbsp of Ghee

Few strands of saffron soaked in little lukewarm water

1 tbsp Grated fresh coconut

Half tsp nutmeg powder

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tsp green cardamom powder 

Jaggery, as per taste

A pinch of salt

METHOD -

1. In a pan add 1 tbsp of ghee and roast the chopped nuts of choice. Once done set aside.

2. In the same pan add rest of the ghee and add chopped pumpkin with a pinch of salt and cover and let it cook. Cook it in simmer until the pumpkin is half done. That is you can start to mash the chopped pumpkin now.

3. Add all the mentioned spices like nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon & green cardamom powder and mix well.

4. Add the grated fresh coconut, mix and cover the pumpkin mix and cook in simmer until the pumpkin is well done and soft.

5. Now add the jaggery, roasted nuts and soaked saffron and cook it till all the water is evaporated. At this stage keep the flame on high and simmer it whenever it is too high. The consistency has to be thick, and the texture has to be super soft. You will only get the bite and crunch of fresh coconut and nuts added.

6. Serve hot immediately garnishing it with roasted nuts and fresh grated coconut.

Note - Chop the pumpkin in smaller cubes to reduce the cooking time and you can also choose to add a little milk while cooking to enhance the taste, but I prefer cooking my pumpkin halwa without milk. Add ghee generously as ghee is the main ingredient in Indian sweets especially halwa.

Check the full recipe on YouTube (Gluten_free_whisk) - Pumpkin Halwa Recipe

Pumpkin Halwa | Glutenfreewhisk