KASI HALWA - POOSANIKAI HALWA

     Kasi Halwa/Poosanikai Halwa is a traditional Halwa which found its origin in Karnataka, South India. Kasi Halwa is prepared with Ash gourd/White Pumpkin(called Poosanikai in Tamil), with Sugar, Ghee and Cardamom Powder and garnished with Cashew nuts & Raisins fried in Ghee. Kasi Halwa is authentically prepared without adding Milk.  This is one popular Halwa made during festivals and a common Halwa served in South Indian weddings. Especially in Tamil Muslim Weddings, Poosanikai Halwa and Mutton Biriyani are a must serve item.
     Though Halwa found its origin in Arabia, it took twists and turns to suit various Cuisines around the World, reflecting regional influence.  Various varieties of Halwa are prepared with most types of Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Flours with a combination of Sugar and Ghee.  Halwa comes into the limelight during festivals, occasions and functions.  The traditional method of making Halwa is tedious and time-consuming giving Halwas its so-called texture and consistency.
     My acquaintance with Poosanikai Halwa came up while feasting at a Muslim Wedding.  Since then it is one dish I look forward in a Muslim Wedding obviously next to Biriyani.  Even there was a shop in CBE, R.S.Puram where they used to sell hot Poosanikai Halwa, which turned out to be our family favourite.  I am not sure whether the shop is still there.  But their Poosanikai Halwa was one of the best I have ever tasted, that we made sure to add this as one of the Desserts in my SIL's Engagement Menu.
      Poosanikai Halwa has a unique texture. Choose a big well-matured White Pumpkin/Ash gourd for the purpose. It is difficult to get aged White Pumpkins in the local market and least to say I can buy it only as a whole vegetable, big enough that I cannot finish it just by making Curries, Avial etc.,  So I usually end up preparing Poosanikai Halwa.  Grating the White Pumpkins and squeezing out the extra water is the only tedious job in the process. The Vegetable is known for its loaded water content.  Once done, the rest of the process gets quite easy.



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Cuisine - Indian
Recipe Type - Sweet
Difficulty - Medium
Serves - 2-3
Author - SM  

Preparation Time - 20 - 30 Minutes.
Cooking Time - 20-30 Minutes.


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HOW TO COOK KASI HALWA - POOSANIKAI HALWA

KASI HALWA - POOSANIKAI HALWA

INGREDIENTS:

For Kasi /Poosanikai Halwa:

White Pumpkin - 2 Cups
Sugar - 3/4 Cup
Cardamom - 2-3 Pods
Saffron - few Strands
Ghee - 2-3 Tbspns
Cashew Nuts - 15-20 Nos.
Yellow Food Colouring - few Drops(Optional)
Salt - a Pinch.

METHOD:

Preparation:

• Wash & Cut the White Pumpkin into pieces.
• Remove the Seeds and the soft portions at the centre.
• Completely remove the Green skin.
• Grate the White Pumpkins using a grater.
• Leave the grated White Pumpkins aside for about 10-15 minutes.
• Collect the grated Pumpkins in a clean kitchen cloth.
• Squeeze and remove any extra water from the grated White Pumpkins and keep it aside.
• Save the oozed out Pumpkin Water.
• Grind Cardamoms along with few teaspoons of Sugar into a fine powder and keep it aside.
• Soak Saffron strands in few teaspoons of warm water.

For Kasi/Poosanikai Halwa:

• Heat 2 Tbspn of Ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan, roast the Cashew Nuts and keep it aside.
• In the remaining Ghee, add the grated and squeezed White Pumpkins and cook on a medium-low flame for a few minutes.
• Pour in 1/2 a Cup of Pumpkin water and cook the White Pumpkins until soft, well cooked and the raw flavour is gone.
• Cook until the White Pumpkins turn dry and there is no water.
• Now add Sugar along with Saffron soaked Water, Cardamom Powder, roasted Cashew Nuts and give a quick stir.
• Add a few drops of yellow food colouring and mix well.
• Cook this on a low flame for about 5-7 Minutes.
• At this stage, Poosanikai Halwa starts to bubble up.
• Now add a Tablespoon of Ghee and give a quick stir.
• Cook this on a low flame for another 5-7 Minutes.
• Add a pinch of Salt and the remaining Ghee to the Halwa and mix well.
• The perfect time to switch off the flame is when Ghee separates from the mix and the Kasi/Poosanikai Halwa starts to leave the sides of the pan.
• Serve Kasi/Poosanikai Halwa hot or at room temperature.

KASI HALWA - POOSANIKAI HALWA

NOTES :

• Adjust the amount of Sugar to suit your sweet tooth.
• Grate the White Pumpkins evenly, which would facilitate even cooking.
• 2 Cups of White  Pumpkin is the quantity after squeezing and removing the water content.
• Use the Squeezed out extra water from White Pumpkins to cook the vegetable.
• Saute the grated White Pumpkins and cook it along with the water until the vegetable turns soft, cooked and there is no more water content, before adding Sugar. 
• Perfectly cooked White Pumpkins gives a wonderful texture to the Halwa.
• Some recipes call for adding Milk instead of Water(I have used the water from the Pumpkins). Substitute the same amount of Milk if you prefer to do so.
• I have flavoured the Halwa with Cardamom Powder, can also add a small pinch of Edible Camphor.
• Adding a bit of extra Ghee will give a rich texture to the Kasi/Poosanikai Halwa.
• Adding Saffron is purely optional, can add few drops of yellow/orange food colouring to the Kasi/Poosanikai Halwa if you prefer.
• Adding Salt to the Halwa is purely optional, but it helps to balance the overall taste of the dessert.