Kaddu Halwa / Pumpkin Halwa is mild sweet and delicious pumpkin pudding made from pumpkin puree, which is mainly consumed during fasting.
Onset of “Shravan Maas” which is considered as one of the most auspicious month in Hindu calendar welcomes many festivals and fasting on these days is very common. Pumpkin is one of the healthy vegetable that is used widely all over india during fasting/vrat periods.
On event of “Shravan Amavasya ” ,I had prepared this delicious sweet pumpkin pudding ,Kaddu Halwa which can be consumed during fasting. Though ,I was not fasting just to satisfy my sweet tooth ,this was the recipe I came up with.I always prefer healthy Indian sweet desserts over empty calories western desserts,indulging in sweets once in a while is totally fine 🙂
Pumpkin is one of the most healthiest vegetable which needs to be used in our diet regularly as it is rich in vital vitamins and minerals. As Pumpkin is rich in fiber , potassium and vit C , it’s popularly known as Heart Healthy Vegetable.Everyone knows that it’s important to reduce salt (sodium) in one’s diet to reduce blood pressure but many are unaware that it’s equally important to eat Potassium rich foods for Healthy heart. Having little knowledge about food we eat is always beneficial to lead a healthy lifestyle ,select healthy nutritious seasonal veggies,eat right and stay fit.
One more unique recipe of pumpkin on my blog is Pumpkin Chutney , which is utterly delicious.Few more easy halwa recipes on my blog are Carrot Halwa Recipe and Dates Halwa Recipe.
Recipe card for Kaddu Halwa
Kaddu Halwa Recipe | Easy Pumpkin Halwa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Kilogram Pumpkin
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- 3 1/2 Tbsp Ghee /Clarified Butter
- 5 Cardamom Pods
- 1 Tbsp Melon Seeds Optional
- 1 Tbsp Cashews Chopped
- 1 Tbsp Almonds Chopped
- 1/2 Tbsp Pista Chopped
- 1 Tsp Milk Masala Powder Optional
Instructions
- Wash and clean pumpkin,remove seeds and peel the pumpkin skin.Cut pumpkin into small cubes.
- Using Mortar Pestle ,dehusk the cardamom and powder the seeds ,keep it aside.
- In a pressure cooker add water, place pumpkin in a pressure cooker separator/container, sprinkle 1 tbsp of water and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
- Once pressure releases on its own,remove the container and mash pumpkin well with the help of masher or else you can blend to get puree
- Take a Thick Bottom Kadai ,heat 3 Tbsp of ghee,add mashed /puree pumpkin
- Mix well and cook ,till all water in the pumpkin dries up.
- Add sugar, mix well and continue to cook till pumpkin leaves edges (halwa consistency)
- Add 1/2 tbsp ghee,chopped dry nuts mix well.
- Turn off the heat ,add cardamom powder ,milk masala powder and serve hot or warm .
Notes
- You can grate pumpkin and cook in an open vessel ,if you are not pressure cooking pumpkin.
- You can also add milk while cooking pumpkin,but cook till it gets dried up completely and reaches halwa consistency.
- If you can't mash pumpkin to smooth , then with the help of blender just blend it to get puree.
- Pumpkin puree was about 4 cups and sugar used was about 3/4 cup ,it also depends on the sweetness of pumpkin you use. So keep a check on sweetness of pumpkin before adding sugar.
- Milk Masala is optional ,its blend of nutmeg,cardamom ,saffron,mace ,pista,badam and cashews.
Step By Step Directions:
Wash and clean Pumpkin,remove the seeds ,peel the skin .
Cut pumpkin into small cubes and place it in a pressure cooker container.
In a pressure cooker ,add water to the bottom and place the container with pumpkin,sprinkle 1 Tbsp of water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
Whilst ,with mortar pestle crush cardamom ,de husk , make cardamom powder and set aside.
Once the pressure releases on its own ,mash the pumpkin with the help of masher . Or you can blend it to smooth puree ,with the help of blender.
Take a thick bottom kadai ,Heat 3 Tbsp ghee , add pumpkin puree.
Stir well pumpkin and cook till water content in pumpkin bubbles and dries up completely.
Add sugar and mix well,continue to cook for another 5-8 minutes ,till halwa starts to leave from the edges ,that is the consistency of halwa.
Now add 1/2 Tbsp of ghee and mix well.
Add all chopped dry nuts and melon seeds,mix well and turn off the heat.
Add cardamom powder ,milk masala powder,mix well .
Serve hot or warm garnished with melon seeds and chopped nuts.
Very well illustrated! I am definitely going to try this. Do you mean milk powder in your recipe or is milk masala powder different? What exactly is it? Do let me know. Thanks!
Milk Masala Powder is different ,it’s a blend of almonds,pista,cashews,green cardamom, saffron ,mace and nutmeg. You get it in stores ,it’s available in different brands like Everest ,Badshah and many more. Here I have used home made Milk Masala Powder, I’ll share the recipe shortly.
Delicious
🙂