2015 Special|Kashi Halwa|Ash Gourd Halwa

    A sweet end to the year 2014 that started with karupatti paniyaram.A sweet start to the year 2015 with this kashi halwa ...I am sure this coming year will bring all the joy and all the goodness you want.I will post recipes with very good pictures,my new year resolution.What is your resolution for the new year?
      Lets get started with Kashi halwa Its a very popular dessert served in udupi-konkani marriages,recently i saw this recipe in samayal samayal when chef venkatesh bhat told he learned the recipe from chettinad palace.

Different names of ash gourd:
      Ash gourd is called by so many different names, for those who browse by the names "vellai poosani" in Tamil,"elavan or kumbalanga in Malayalam" ,"kumbalakkai" in kannada,"boodha gummidikkai" in Telugu.Don't guess this halwa is made only in kashi a city in benaras. kashi phal -in Hindi means ash gourd so this halwa is called kashi halwa.

Medicinal Benefits of ash gourd:
       Kashi phal has got 95 percent water content and high calcium content .Ash gourd is good for weight loss and it helps to maintain blood pressure as well.
What all  you can make with kashi phal:
         You can make arachuvitta sambhar, regular sambhar,moru curry or kootu with kashi phal..apart
from making this wonderful kashi halwa.
How to choose Pumpkin for kashi halwa:
             Ash gourd has to be heavy and also it should not be soft .that means its mature and its good for making halwa.If its soft there is a chance that you get very less ash gourd after filtering the water or it may get mushy while cooking.Texture of the halwa is very important..

                                         Kashi Halwa|Ash Gourd Halwa

                        2015 Special -tastiest Kashi halwa

 Cuisine: Indian Category:Dessert Yields:2 cups Prep time:10 minutes Cook time:25 minutes Total time:35 minutes




Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound ash gourd(grated to 2 cups -water filtered to 1 1/4 cup).
• 1 cup sugar/sarkarai( i used brown sugar).
• 2 cardamom/elakai.
• 1 tsp ghee/nei
• small pinch of salt/uppu
• few saffron strands
• few drops of lemon/lime.
• little edible camphor/pacha karpooram(optional)
• 1 1/2 cups water squeezed from pumpkin.

Temper:

• 1 tsp ghee
• 5-6  cashews/almonds chopped.
• few dried grapes.

Method:

• Grate the pumpkin and extract the juice with thin muslin cloth(if you don't have one ,filter the water using strainer but make sure there is no excess water in the grated pumpkin).

• Heat 1 1/2 cup of water squeezed from the pumpkin in a tava(prefer non-stick one).
• When the water reaches it boiling point add grated pumpkin to it.
• Mix it well .Let the water gets completely evaporated in the mean time pumpkin gets cooked as well.

• When almost all the water is gone,add sugar.
• Mix sugar well, add saffron strands and salt to it .
• Add few drops of lemon juice after the saffron gets mixed in the halwa.
• After 12 -13 minutes add ghee and cardamom to the halwa.
• If you have edible camphor add a pinch of it as well.

• Heat 1 tsp of ghee in another tava add chopped cashews/almonds and dried grapes as well.
• When the cashews/almonds brown add the tempering to halwa.
• Kashi halwa is ready to serve and eat.
• Enjoy this amazingly delicious kashi halwa with your  loved ones.

Note:

• Choose mature ash gourd/kashi pahl.
• Adjust sugar added to it.But this is the best measurement if you really want to have a treat.
• You can add more ghee as well .
• Adding a pinch of salt gives the absolute deliciosness a dessert ever want .So don't forget to add it.
• Lime juice prevents sugar getting crystalized,so try to add it as well.

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