Ash Gourd Halwa Recipe with Step by Step Photos | Ash gourd Halwa | How to do Kashi Halwa with step by step photos | Kushmanda Halwa Recipe with step by step photos| Dumroot Halwa recipe with step by step Photos / Kumbalakayi halwa
Today I have for you all a tasty, popular Karnataka special Dessert made from Ash Gourd – ” Ash Gourd Halwa “..one of my favourite dish from Udupi Cuisine. It’s popularly known as Kashi Halwa / Kushmanda Halwa / Dumroot / Kumbalakayi halwa also. A very popular dish in the breakfast Menu of Udupi Mangalore weddings and functions .. this tastes amazingly delicious and is quite simple to make.
Always pick firm mature ash gourd for making this Kashi halwa. It helps in reducing cooking time. The major big task while making Ash gourd halwa is .. you have to keep on sauteeing halwa till all water has evaporated and halwa gets a translucent jelly-like texture.
Since ash gourd is a little watery in nature, this process takes a while and tastes our patience. Grating ash gourd is another boring job and we can’t use a food processor for this. But the end result is worth the effort put in.
Few points to note while making Ash Gourd Halwa Recipe :Â
- Always pick firm fully mature ash gourd only for making halwa.
- How to identify ripe mature ash gourd
- * Less Ash coating on the green skin, skin greener, very small seeds in the flesh >>> Tender Ash gourd >> Don’t pick.
- * When you press flesh, it should leave minimum thumb impression >> Mature Ash gourd >> Pick
Some of the other halwa you can try are Carrot halwa , Bottle gourd Halwa , Banana Halwa etc
ASH GOURD HALWA RECIPE / KASHI HALWA / DUMROOT HALWA / KUSHMANDA HALWA
Ingredients
- 4 cup Ash gourd / white pumpkin, grated
- 1-1.5 cup Sugar
- 4-5 tbsp Ghee, Can +/- quantity
- 1-2 tsp Khova /Khoya/ Mawa
- 2-3 pinch Saffron/ kesar
- 1 tsp Elaichi powder
- a pinch Citric Acid crystals /Nimbu ka phool / Nimbu uppu
- cashews and rasins as required
- a pinch Salt
Instructions
- Pick ash gourd that's firm and fully mature. Peel skin, discard pulp and seeds. Cut into small vertical pieces .. so that it's easy to grate .
- Grate ash gourd using a grater. Use bigger hole side to grate and apply pressure while grating.
- Squeeze out most of the water from the grated ash gourd .. transfer to thick kadai. Do this process for 1-2 times to remove as much water.
- This Ash gourd juice is very healthy and good for health. You can drink it as or flavour it up and consume or add it while making some curry or while making chapathi dough . So don't throw .
- Heat ghee and fry cashews and raisins. Keep aside.
- To make Kashi Halwa, Firstly take a thick bottom kadai and add 1-2 tsp Ghee. Saute Ash gourd. Saute Ash gourd till it's translucent or almost all water has evaporated from gourd.
- Keep flame on medium flame and keep sauteing ash gourd in between. You can see that after some time... gourd starts leaving water . Saute in between till almost all water has evaporated. Don't lid the pan while cooking . It may take around 15 mins. If you have used good firm Ash gourd .. it will leave less water. Tender Ash gourd, becomes full watery and you might have to wait .. till it's done .
- When water has almost evaporated .. add sugar. Mix. For 4 cup Ashgourd, I added 1 cup Sugar .. you can alter it as per your reference.
- You can see once we have added sugar, halwa will again start leaving water and become watery. Keep flame on medium high, stir in between and continue to cook till it reduces water.
- Add ghee in intervals .. Add Kesar / saffron soaked in hot milk. Mix While making I realised my stock of Kesar was over and thus added 2-3 drops of edible colour. Saffron definitely will give better colour. So try to use saffron only.
- Add another 1-2 tsp Ghee and continue sauteing .
- Add pinch of salt and few crystals of Citric acid crystals ( nimbu uppu / nimbu ka Phool). Can add 2-3 drops of lime too.
- When Halwa has started thickening, add just 1-2 tsp crumbled Khova or cream or 1-2 tsp chiroti rava. This will give good texture.
- Lastly, add fried nuts and elaichi powder .. mix .
- When Ghee starts oozing out and halwa comes out as a mass .. it's done . Switch off ,
- You can see how glossy, translucent and jelly-like Ash gourd halwa has turned. Once Ash gourd halwa cools , it becomes little thicker . Except for that orange colour.. everything is perfect.
- Enjoy Ash gourd halwa / kashi halwa hot / warm / as such .
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