Ash gourd (winter melon) ka halwa

• Servings: 
• Preparation time: 10 minutes.
• Fry cashew nut time: 2-3 minutes.
• Cooking time: 18-20 minutes.
• Total time: 33 minutes. 

I was really surprised to eat “Ash Gourd Halwa” in a wedding party at Tirunelveli district town, Tamil Nadu. Happy to know that this is one of the traditional south Indian popular desserts. The halwa was soft and melted in mouth, moist & juicy too. Simultaneously it has crunch of nuts like cashew and almonds. The hint of cardamom, and saffron flavour enhanced the recipes.

Ash Gourd halwa is nutritious and delicious, often served as festival celebration and on special occasion in south India.

Being a north Indian, knew only “Petha” made with Ash Gourd, also known as Winter Melon or White Pumpkin.

In comparison to halwa Petha is something candy- like and firmer, where ash gourd halwa is more delightful, softer and creamier…

Ash gourd is highest vital energy containing vegetable, a perfect traditional Indian menu for tea time or kitty party.

You can serve this sweet either directly or with ice-cream, family and friends will surely be surprised at this delightful halwa.

Follow the recipe…

Ingredients:

• Ash gourd: 500gm
• Sugar: 200gm
• Ghee: 50 gm
• Green cardamom: 3 no.
• Cashew nut: 50 gm
• Edible colour: 1-2 drop (optional).

Preparation:

1.  Peel off and Grate the Ash gourd with the help of grater/food processor.
2. Squeeze as much as water possible, keep this water into bowl or glass.
3. You can use this “Ash Gourd Juice” as I have already uploaded.

Method:

1. Heat 2 teaspoon of ghee in a pan.
2. Fry cashew nut into it, keep aside.
3. Put 2 crushed cardamom in the ghee.
4. Add grated ash gourd and cover the lid. Keep stirring every 2-3 minutes on medium flame (about 10-15minutes).
5. When ash gourd is done, that is water is evaporated, add sugar; cook about 5-7 minutes, until it gets the consistency of halwa.
6. Add cashew nut and left over ghee.
7. Add edible color, stir properly.
8. Fry till liquid dries up.
9. Garnish with cardamom powder and cashew nut.
10. Delicious ash gourd ka halwa is ready to serve.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

Ash gourd (winter melon) ka halwa by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.