Pumpkin Halwa

Teepi Gummadikaya Halwa.

Pumpkin is peeled and chopped and cooked in enough milk till the chopped pumpkin falls apart. Sugar is made into thick syrup and added to the cooked pumpkin. This is stirred and cooked till the pumpkin mixture loses most of the moisture and comes together.
Makes: 2 Servings of Pumpkin Halwa.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin 2 Cups Chopped
Sugar 1 1/2 Cup or more
Milk 2 Cups
Green Cardamom 1 Pod
Ghee 1 tsp or more
Cashews 5
Raisins 8
Pumpkin Seeds 1/2 Cup

Method of preparation:

Wash, peel, remove seeds and chop pumpkin into small pieces.
Crush green cardamom and remove the dark seeds. Crush the dark seeds into powder and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a small pan on medium heat, add cashews and raisins.
Fry till cashews turn light golden color and remove from heat.
Grease a small dish with ghee and keep aside.

Heat a sauce pot with quarter cup of water, add sugar and cardamom powder.
Let the sugar dissolve completely.
Once the sugar syrup thickens ( one string consistency) a bit, remove from heat.

Heat milk in a non stick pan, add pumpkin pieces and milk.
Cook covered till pumpkin pieces turn soft and mushy.
Stir occasionally and add more milk if required to cook the pumpkin.
Leave on medium low flame till most of the milk has evaporated.
Then carefully stir in the prepared sugar syrup, fried cashews, fried raisins, pumpkin seeds and cook on medium flame.
Let the pumpkin and sugar mixture come together completely without sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Once the pumpkin halwa becomes thick, transfer into the greased dish and press well to fit and flatten on top.
When halwa is warm enough to handle, cut with a greased mould into desired shape and garnish with pumpkin seeds.
Serve pumpkin halwa warm or cold.
Notes:Make sure pumpkin pieces are cooked properly before adding the sugar syrup.

Suggestions: If the end result of halwa doesn’t come together, then add few tbsps of sugar and let it caramelize and bind the halwa well.
Variations:You can also add roasted slivered almonds if you wish.
Other Names:Red Pumpkin Halwa, Kaddu Ka Halwa, Mathan Halwa.