Kaddu Ka Halwa {Indian Pumpkin Pudding Dessert}

Since the end of summer, it seems we are buried under an avalanche of pumpkins and pumpkin related stuff. This is especially evident in matters relating to food. Pumpkin lattes, smoothies, muffins, pies, pancakes, waffles, candy and what not!

At this point, I need to confess something. I don’t care much for pumpkin flavored food. Not at all. I like my coffee to taste like coffee, thank you very much. I prefer a slice of pecan or lemon meringue pie over pumpkin pie any day.

But being a foodie and blogger, one would think it is only fitting that I try something I would never otherwise try, before forming my opinions. Hence the pumpkin rant and customary pumpkin post.

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins. They come in all shapes, sizes and color. They are extremely cute, I’ll concede that. Why, you might even hear me address a certain young man as my pumpkin (much to his chagrin nowadays)!

Back home, mom has a couple of pumpkin curry recipes. I don’t mind them. But I’ve never tried a pumpkin dessert in my life. Not a single slice of pumpkin pie yet. After coming to the States, it seems I have tried every other pie, but pumpkin pie. Last week, I even passed up a free sample at our grocer and the lady giving them out couldn’t believe it!

This fall though, we did all the pumpkin related activities one could think of. We visited a pumpkin patch, Boy painted a couple of them, we carved a humongous Cinderella pumpkin, I even bought a few baby ones to display as a table centerpiece. So now, I am surrounded by pumpkins glaring accusingly at my snobbish self, imploring me to at least try something for the sake of pumpkins.

Given the fact that a pie seemed like too much work, I looked for other dessert alternatives and settled on halwa, the quintessential Indian comfort food. Halwa is so versatile, my personal favorite being my mom’s beetroot halwa. But carrot halwa is the most famous of the lot. It was time to try the other popular vegetable halwa, one made with winter squash, pumpkins or kaddu. Is it a coincidence that pumpkin is known by an equally cute name in Hindi? Say that again – kaddu! Its Tamil name is funny and kinda cute as well – poosanikkai!

So, pumpkin halwa is very similar to a carrot or beetroot halwa. I used a medium-sized orange sugar/pie pumpkin commonly available here. You just need to decide whether to cook it in water or milk. I had a hard time deciding which way to go. I like my beetroot halwa cooked in water, but I like my carrot halwa creamy and rich. So I decided to use milk in the pumpkin halwa as well. Traditional recipes call for mawa or milk solids for a rich texture and taste. Use a few spoons of the stuff if you can find it. But I used just milk, ghee and sugar, with a touch of cardamom for flavor.

KADDU KA HALWA {INDIAN PUMPKIN PUDDING DESSERT}

You will need: (Makes 6-8 servings)

• Ghee – 1/2 cup
• Orange pumpkin – 1 medium-sized, roughly 2 lbs or 5-6 cups when grated
• Milk – 1 cup
• Sugar – 3/4 cup (or more, depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin used)
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – a pinch
• Golden raisins – a small handful, to garnish
• Cashew nuts or almonds – a few, to garnish

How to:

• Peel, core and grate a pumpkin to get around 5-6 loosely packed cups of grated pumpkin. Keep aside. (I used a food processor to make the job easier.)
• Heat ghee in a large, thick-bottomed pan.
• Add the grated pumpkin and saute on medium for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. The pumpkin will lighten in color, soften and let out some water. You will notice a strong raw smell initially, which should go away after a few minutes of sauteeing.
• Now add the milk and cook the pumpkin on low heat till done, but not entirely mushy. This should take another 10 minutes or so, depending on the type of pumpkin used.
• Increase the heat to medium and add sugar, cardamom powder and salt. The sugar will introduce some liquid. Keep stirring to dry it out.
• After a few more minutes, you will see that the pumpkin halwa starts to thicken and turn glossy. The halwa will also start to come away from the sides of the pan and begin to chase the spoon when stirred. Increase the heat and fry the halwa for just a couple of minutes and remove from the heat.
• Garnish with raisins and chopped nuts fried in a little ghee and serve.

Notes:

• Traditionally, halwa is very rich and 6 cups of grated pumpkin will require way more than 1/2 cup of ghee. But I purposely reduced the amount used and this was not a problem because I used a non-stick pan. If you are using any other vessel, you will need more ghee so that the pumpkin halwa does not stick to the bottom and comes together easily in the end. At this point, a little ghee will also separate from the halwa at the sides.
• Use water in place of milk for an even lighter version.
• For a richer version, add a few tablespoons of mawa (milk solids left behind after slowly evaporating milk for a long time). It should be available in most Indian grocery stores.
• If you feel the pumpkin halwa has become too light in color after cooking in milk, add a few drops of orange or yellow food color along with the sugar.

Serving Suggestions:

• Serve pumpkin halwa piping hot, warm or chilled, as per your preference.
• Serve hot or warm pumpkin halwa with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream for a decadent treat.
• Pumpkin halwa can be served with a lovely meal of Indian flat breads like pooris or parathas and sabzi.

Now, the verdict. I must say, pumpkin desserts are an acquired taste. I loved the halwa, especially served along with some warm chapathis. But the guys of the house did not care for it much. I guess I will not be buying any more pumpkins this season. But hey, it made for a lovely blog post, don’t you think? And I got to rant against a poor vegetable. I think it was important for me to be honest, more than anything else.

And oh, before I forget, there was something about the pumpkin we all absolutely loved – roasted pumpkin seeds. Now, that’s something!

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

I cleaned the pumpkin guts, washed the seeds under running water and drained it. The seeds were then toasted in a warm oven (around 250-275 deg. F) for 30-35 minutes, tossing them around every 10 minutes. You could do this on low heat in a skillet on the stove-top as well. Sprinkle lightly with salt once done. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are great as a snack or on salads.

So, if you love pumpkins and simply cannot get enough of them this season, do try the halwa recipe. The halwa is perfect, just as it should be – rich, creamy and bursting with pumpkin flavor!

Meanwhile, I hope I am not haunted by any vagrant pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Or my blogger buddies who love pumpkins. Please?!! It’s nothing personal. Maybe I will grow in to it in the years to come!

PS: I have actually tried a gourd halwa exactly once before this, at a restaurant back home. It was made using bottle gourd (churakka/doodhi), which has pale green flesh and a completely different flavor from that of an orange pumpkin. Now, once I make sure the pumpkin halwa is completely forgotten at our home, I will be buying a bottle gourd to try out a new halwa and then try it out on my unsuspecting boys. Fingers crossed!

So, tell me, do you have any pre-conceived notions about any particular vegetable, fruit or food? Do share.

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