Kasi halwa or Poosanikai halwa is an easy halwa recipe made with white pumpkin, sugar and ghee as main ingredients. Very simple recipe with simple ingredients.
When life gives you ash gourd, make halwa out of it. Though this can be made anytime, making it for festivals brings joyous mood.
Check out my other Diwali recipes collection and browse the Diwali recipe index for more choices.
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I have tried only once before and have not tasted that much too. When I made a list for the recipes to try for this Diwali, this was also in my list.
So got a pumpkin last weekend while grocery shopping. I needed a push to try this one as I had no mood to try this halwa some how.
But thanks to my co-sis, she kept insisting me to post this and helped me through out making this halwa. Thank you dear🤗.
When I finished making and tasted I wasn’t impressed but later it tasted really good. I just loved the texture a lot.
Grating is the only job to do, otherwise really easy to prepare this recipe. I adapted the recipe from the cookbook I have and adjusted to suit my taste.
I am not sure why this is named Kashi halwa / Kasi halwa but found this article interesting facts about Halwa. Do check it out.
Recipe card
Kasi halwa recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups White pumpkin grated and squeezed gently
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 2 Cardamom powdered
- 1 pinch Edible camphor optional, mustard size
- 1 Pinch Saffron
Instructions
- Remove the green skin part of the white pumpkin firstly and soft part with seeds in it.
- Grate it and squeeze gently to drain the excess water. You can save this if you are worried about the nutrient loss.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add a teaspoon of ghee. Fry the grated pumpkin well for 2 minutes.
- Add ¼ cup water or the squeezed water from pumpkin and cook covered until soft and tender.
- Mix and mash in between to ensure even cooking.
- Add sugar and mix until it dissolves. Add saffron and continue cooking.
- Keep stirring over medium flame. Add ghee little by little while you stir.
- Once the halwa thickens, add edible camphor powdered and cardamom towards the end.
- When you stir, you will see few tiny white spots appearing in the halwa, when you turn it. This is the right stage to switch off the flame.
- Lastly fry cashew nuts broken into two in ghee until golden and add to the halwa.
Video
Notes
- Let the whole process be done in medium flame. Especially after adding sugar.
- Adding edible camphor and cardamom is to suppress the smell of pumpkin. So add as mentioned.
- Make sure you grate the pumpkin evenly otherwise will remain uncooked.
- Adding sugar after the pumpkin gets cooked is must. If uncooked, after adding sugar it will never get cooked and becomes hard.
Step by step photos
- Remove the green skin part firstly and soft part with seeds in the pumpkin. Grate it and squeeze gently to drain the excess water. You can save this if you are worried about the nutrient loss.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add a teaspoon of ghee. Fry the grated pumpkin well for 2 minutes.
3. Add ¼ cup water or the squeezed water from pumpkin and cook covered until soft and tender. Mix and mash in between to ensure even cooking.
4. Add sugar and mix until it dissolves. Add saffron and continue cooking.
5. Keep stirring over medium flame. Add ghee little by little while you stir.
6. Once the halwa thickens, add edible camphor powdered and cardamom towards the end.
7. When you stir, you will see few tiny white spots appearing in the halwa, when you turn it. This is the right stage to switch off the flame.
8. Lastly fry cashew nuts broken into two in ghee until golden and add to the halwa.
Not only glossy looking halwa, this halwa got a beautiful texture as well.
Krithika Balu
So temptating 🙂 beautiful colour with step by step instructions
Veena Theagarajan
nice tempting presentation.. looks yum!
Revathi Kaundinya
Luks very delicious n mouth watering 🙂 Thnx for the recipe 🙂 Can we add khova to this halwa as we usually do in preparing gaajar halwa??
Aksh
Just look at that glossy look of the halwa! Super delicious looking 🙂
Traditionally Modern Food
Looks glossy and delicious.. Yum yum
Raks anand
Yes you can try 🙂
Bp
What is the Shelf life for the halwa? ? 3 - 4 days? Can we refrigerate it?
Bp
What is the Shelf life for the halwa?? 3 -4 days. Can we refrigerate it?
Bp
How long can we store ?? 3 to 4 days??
Shravani K
Kasi Halwa is a very new recipe for me adding camphor powder gives a very nice aroma 🙂 yummy halwa
Babooty
Good foto..then people will ask which camera
Good food will ask which pan....
My question same ..very good ceramic pan..which company?....
i remember, in some of your old posts i used see a glass pan later came to know its a "vision make" and brought after that...
Raks anand
This is greenlife brand ceramic nonstick pan 🙂
Sushma
Hi Raks,
I'm a fan of your recipes. I look forward to your posts.
Where did you buy edible camphor in Singapore?
Thanks
Sushma
Raks anand
Mustafa, near where they keep hing 🙂
Krithika Balu
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hema Sundar
Hi raks,
I have tried this recipe with red pumpkin, couldn't achieve the consistency. Do u have any suggestions...
Raks anand
Sorry,I haven't tried with yellow. This one is white pumpkin. I guess you cant get the same effect with yellow ones as it is more startchy veggie
Raks anand
You can keep refrigerated for 4 days.
Unknown
Making it first tym .. Thanks for sharing the recipee