Khasi Halwa Recipe | Poosanikkai Halwa Recipe

After a hefty shopping in Express Avenue, me and Mr.K were very tired and wanted to garb a quick lunch. Being there on a holiday, the mall was flooded and so was the food counters. Long time, Mr.K kept telling we should try I.D restaurant and we also had a discount on parking ticket with ID bill. After waiting for an hour, we got seated and it took another 1 hour for them to bring our orders. We wanted to try a sweet, yep, its khasi halwa and that's why such a boring story to relate my crush on the halwa. Ever since I wanted to try this at home and when I saw the recipe with its technique in a tv program Samayal Samayal, I put my apron the very next day and made this yummy halwa!!!

KASI / WHITE PUMPKIN/ POOSANIKKAI HALWA RECIPE

Recipe Category: S.Indian / Sweets
Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Serves: 12

Ingredients:

White Pumpkin Grated - around 3 cups
White Pumpkin Pulp - 1.5 cup
White Pumpkin Juice - 1.5 cup
Sugar - 1.5 cup
Saffron - 4-5 strands
Salt - a tiny pinch
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 1tbsp
Cardamom - 1/2 tsp, powdered
Edible Camphor / Pacha Karporam - a tiny pinch, crushed ***See Notes

Ghee - 1 tsp
Cashew Nuts - 10-15
Raisins - 5

Method of Preparation:

1. Take the white pumpkin which is old as it will give good texture than the tender ones. Take out the seeds and outer skin. Cut it into shapes like I have cut. Grate the pumpkin pieces using a fine grater.(Very fine grater). It oozes out water while grating, collect that also.

2. In a strainer, line a fine muslin cloth and keep a vessel underneath to collect the pumpkin juice. Just scoop a little pumpkin pulp and put in the muslin cloth. Press it nicely with a back of a flat spoon so that the juices are fully extracted and only the pulp remains.

3. Then, hold the muslin cloth tightly and crush so that the water is completely released. Open the muslin cloth, you will find pumpkin pulp. Collect it in another bowl. Repeat the steps 2 and 3 until all the grated white pumpkin is over. Measure the pumpkin pulp and keep aside.

4. Heat a wide bottomed, non stick pan, add the pumpkin water and bring to a boil. Then add the pumpkin pulp. Let it cook in the boiling pumpkin water.

5. It takes around 10-15 minutes for the water to be absorbed and the pumpkin to cook. Once it starts to turn thick, add sugar. It will become loose again due to sugar. At this stage, add saffron and salt. Keep stirring and let it cook in medium heat.

6. As the pumpkin cooks, sugar starts to crystallise, so add lemon juice(see quantity in pic), don't over power. Keep stirring. Add ghee. Aroma and a glaze will be formed on the pumpkin halwa, the colour will also have turned slightly golden due to saffron strands. Add cardamom.

7. Now, turn the heat to low, add edible camphor. Stir well. In a tadka pan, heat ghee and roast cashew nuts and raisins. Add it to the halwa. Indications for halwa if its cooked or not: As it cooks, the halwa turns very glossy and transparent. It will start leaving the sides of the pan and form a mass. If you toss, it will go together and doesn't separate. Switch off!!!

Notes:

• Buy a older pumpkin which weighs heavy, as the grated pulp will have a good texture than the tender ones. 
• The important technique here is to extract the water from the pumpkin pulp and then cook in the same. You can also skip the steps 2 and 3, and directly cook the grated pulp. But taste differs and it doesn't get the right texture of kasi halwa. 
• The rule is equal quantity of pulp and sugar, but adjust sugar to suit your taste. 
• You can add orange food colour which is optional. I prefer the natural saffron colour and it looks very attractive.
• Salt is an ingredient to elevate the sweetness of the halwa.
• Edible Camphor / Pacha Karporam / Green Camphor is used as an flavoring agent mainly in desserts. 
• Don't skip edible camphor, which adds an flavour, aroma and taste to the whole sweet. Also, don't add more than a pinch, as it is very powerful. It is easily available in super markets. 
• Lemon juice is used to avoid sugar forming crystals, so add very little otherwise the flavour of lemon will also infuse in the halwa. 

So yummmmmmmyyyy!!!! I don't know how its got the name as its my Mr.K's name too...so love both of them:) But its an traditional sweet served in brahmin's weddings and functions!

Serving Suggestion: Best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Scoop in and enjoy the tasty delight!!!!