Ash Gourd or Bood kumblakai or Petha Kaddu is a very commonly used vegetable in Asian cooking. It is also known as Winter Melon for its unique cooling property. One more interesting fact about ash gourd is that it is actually a fruit, but is consumed as a vegetable. In Ayurvedic system of medicine, ash gourd is regarded highly for its medicinal values, wherein the shoot, leaf and the fruit by itself can be consumed to cure different ailments.
Today’s dish is a very popular dish in India called the Ash gourd halwa. Coastal Karnataka (Udupi-Mangalore belt) knows it better as ‘Kashi Halwa’. Well, I always have this question in my mind – “Why here, the name ‘Kashi Halwa’ of all, especially when Kashi so distant? It is indeed a million-dollar question, but I am still looking for an answer. The only logic that I can draw for now is the fact that Ash gourd is also referred to as ‘Kashi Phal’ in Hindi.
Well, as they say, what’s in the name?!!! All that matters to us is how it tastes. It tastes heavenly. And for those who prepare, there cannot be a simpler halwa than this, given that very few ingredients go into its making.
When you serve it hot, the smell of ash gourd cooked in sugar and ghee with a dash of cardamom can get so very inviting, and when you put a spoonful of the halwa in your mouth, it just starts melting like butter. Yum!!!
For more dessert and sweet recipes, you may refer to the Desserts section.
Also, do not discard the ash gourd peel. I will be coming up with an interesting recipe with the ash gourd peel too. Watch out this space for more !!!
Total Time: 1 hour
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
Grated ash gourd: 2.5 cups
Sugar: 1.25 cups
Cardamom: 7
Dry fruits: Few
Ghee: 4 tbsp.
Saffron strands: Few
Turmeric Powder : A pinch, If required (optional)
Method :
- In a deep bottomed pan, roast nuts in ghee and keep aside
- Add 2 tsp. of ghee to the same pan and add grated ash guard to it. In medium flame cook ash guard for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the water evaporates (You may add water if you feel it is not cooked)
- Add sugar and saffron. Mix well and continue heat. Keep adding ghee in between. You may add little turmeric powder, if you want, but it is purely optional
- Add cardamom and mix well. Continue heat in medium flame
- Add dry fruits and mix well. Continue heat in medium flame for few more minutes. In between, keep adding ghee.
- Remove from heat, once halwa becomes sticky, mixing gets heavier and halwa starts leaving the pan
Kashi Halwa stories :
In south Canara, this delicacy though is very much liked and appreciated, it is not prepared in all functions and festivities, reason being unknown. It is prepared in small pooja functions or so. Having said that, we never get enough of it. Every time we have it, we are simply not done with just a single serve!!!
Lovely