Pumpkin or kaddu is a versatile vegetable. You can curry it or make a stew. Make a soup, a pie, tart and even make a dessert out of it. Be it kasi halwa, or a pumpkin cake, pumpkin sweet recipes always win you over. Also, it is a great way of using left-over pumpkin pieces. It is an easy vegetable to cook with. Pumpkins are naturally sweet. You can enjoy it as it gets creamy and sweet as it gets cooked. Kaddu ka halva or Pumpkin halwa recipe can be eaten during fasting periods of Navratri or saavan somavar. Making a sweet out of veggies makes it interesting. Making pumpkin halwa with jaggery ensures its iron rich too. I love using pumpkin for pies and muffins too. However, that is for another time. You can also use green pumpkin to make a petha halwa if butternut squash /yellow pumpkins are unavailable.
This recipe is great for toddlers who would enjoy soft foods. Also, this kashi halwa recipe has no sugar. Sweetness comes from veggie and jaggery. Jaggery is rich in iron too. It is always better to have jaggery instead of white sugar.
How to make pumpkin halwa?
- Cut pumpkin into smaller pieces.
2.Heat oil or ghee in a pressure cooker. Add pumpkin pieces to it.Cook until it softens.Add saffron strands & water. Pressure cook until one whistle. Optionally you may add cardamom powder too.
3. Mix well to mash the pumpkin pieces.
4. Add coconut flour/ desiccated flour to it. Mix well.
5. Add jaggery to it and mix well.
6. Strain it.
7. Cook on a low flame for 10-15 mins until halwa thickens.
Read the kaddu ka halwa recipe here
Pumpkin halwa
Ingredients
- 2 cup pumpkin diced
- 2 tbsp ghee coconut oil if vegan
- ¾ cup water
- 2-3 tbsp jaggery
- 2 tbsp Coconut flour/ desiccated coconut
- 3-4 strands saffron
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Heat oil or ghee in a pressure cooker. Add pumpkin pieces to it with a pinch of salt.
- Cook until it softens.
- Add saffron strands along with water. Pressure cook until one whistle.
- Now, add coconut flour/ desiccated flour to it. Mix well.
- Add jaggery and mix well, strain this mix.
- Cook on a low flame for 10-15 mins until it thickens. Serve warm.
Fasting and Indian cuisine
You also hear so much hullabaloo about gluten-free foods nowadays. Indian Hindus do a lot of intermittent fasting. The west might have learnt this concept sometime back. However, this has been going on for centuries in our civilization. Indian cuisine has amazing recipes which are both cheap and wholesome. They are also amazingly gluten-free. Can be made vegan too. Some people regularly fast on either of Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays depending on their choice. Most people fast every Monday during Rainy season or saavan in Hindu calendar. Fasting helps you avoid weight gain. Also, it keeps gut healthy. Usually, people avoid rice and wheat. They use millets and go gluten-free. We consume fruits and vegetables along with milk products. You can have this recipe during Navratre or during any other fasting days like Shivratri and Ekadashi.
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