Desserts
Pumpkin Halwa With Jaggery
A family recipe since October 2014
A warm, comforting halwa made from sweet yellow pumpkin and jaggery—lightly caramelized and scented with cardamom. Simple to make and naturally iron-rich, it’s a kid-friendly dessert you can enjoy warm or chilled.
40 min total4 servings
Ingredients
- Yellow pumpkin - 2 cup
- Milk - 1/2 cup
- Jaggery syrup - 1/2 cup
- Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
- Cashew nuts - 6 whole
- Raisins - 8 whole
- Ghee - 1/4 cup
Instructions
- 1Peel and cut the yellow pumpkin into small cubes, then place the cubes and the milk in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 1 whistle; while it cooks, make the jaggery syrup and set it aside.
- 2Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a wide-bottomed pan over medium flame, transfer the cooked pumpkin mixture to the pan, and stir continuously until excess liquid evaporates so it does not stick to the bottom.
- 3Add the jaggery syrup and stir to combine; the mixture will look loose at first, so keep stirring and add 1 tbsp ghee at regular intervals until the halwa begins to leave the sides of the pan, then remove from the heat. This will take about 20 minutes.
- 4Heat ghee in a small pan, fry the raisins until they puff and the cashew nuts until light golden, then fold them into the halwa and stir in the cardamom powder so the flavors meld.
- 5Taste and add more jaggery if you prefer a sweeter halwa.
- 6Serve warm or cold. Optional: finish with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios for color and crunch.