Pumpkin Halwa

A great way to use pumpkins in Indian cooking is when making curries and/or sambhars. These dishes are usually served with rice but they can also be enjoyed as it is. The first time I ate pumpkin was on Thanksgiving at my uncle's house many years ago. We had just moved to the States and celebrated our first American holiday. My aunt served me a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. It was delicious but a bit too sweet for me at that time. Since then, I've adjusted to the taste and enjoy it every year.

These days, pumpkins are being incorporated into a lot more recipes than just pies. It's about time don't you think! We're adding our recipe into that pot...just in time for Diwali, the Festival of Lights which falls on Nov. 2.

Check out our recipe for Pumpkin Halwa below:

Pumpkin Halwa

Ingredients:

- 500 grams Pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 0.5" cubes

- 3.5 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk

- 1/8 cup Instant Dry Milk powder

- 2 pinches Cinnamon powder

- 2 pods Cardamom, seeded and powdered

- 1/8 cup dry coconut powder

- 2 tbsp Butter

- 5 to 6 Almonds or Cashews, sliced (for decoration) and toasted

Procedure:

In a thick non-stick sauce pan, heat butter and the pumpkin cubes. Stir fry for a minute and cook the pumpkin until soft under closed lid for 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat. Mix intermittently. When the pumpkin is cooked, using a thick wooden spoon or potato masher, mash the pieces well into paste. Now add sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon powder, instant dry milk powder, and coconut powder and mix well. Cook the mixture by mixing regularly to avoid sticking until it moves from the walls of the container. Add the cardamom powder into the halwa mixture. Transfer it into a greased plate and top it with the toasted almonds or cashews.

Click on the headline to read more about How pumpkin moved beyond the pie, and into curries, cereal bars, and M&Ms… from Food Navigator-Usa.com.