PUMPKIN HALVA
It’s almost Halloween when kids want to hollow out pumpkins to make Jack o’Lanterns, and you have a load of wonderful pumpkin flesh to do something with. This is a traditional Pakistani dessert recipe made with ingredients that are easy to find in the West. It’s an adaptation, but none the worse for that. It’s quick and comparatively easy. Don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds, these are good dried, just wash the pulp off them and dry them on absorbent paper, then roast them with a sprinkling of sea salt for a delicious healthy snack.
PUMPKIN HALVA
Ingredients1 kilo diced pumpkin flesh
1 inch stick of cinnamon
6 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground
75 ml orange juice
75 ml water
4 tbsps butter or oil or pure ghee
150 gr of sugar or less according to taste
50 gr sultanas
Garnish
grated coconut,
slivered almonds, toasted
12 cashew nuts
unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled (optional)
zest of 1 orange, grated
MethodPut the pumpkin, cinnamon stick, cardamom powder, orange juice and water in a pan, cover it and boil until the pumpkin is tender.
Drain and mash the pumpkin.
Heat the butter in a large frying pan and when hot add the pumpkin mixture and the sultanas. Stir constantly, allowing the puree to thicken and get darker, for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the sugar and continue stirring, until the mixture reduces and becomes a rich, glossy amber colour.
Spoon into individual serving dishes and serve hot decorated with the coconut, orange zest and nuts.
This has Taste and is a Treat.
