Kasi Halwa Recipe | Poosanikai Halwa

Last Updated On: Dec 23, 2024 by Sharmilee J

Kasi Halwa is a melt in mouth sweet made by cooking ash gourd with sugar, ghee, flavored with cardamom powder and garnished with nuts. Kasi Halwa is also called as Ash Gourd Halwa and could be made in large quantities quickly compared to the regular halwa. Learn to make Kasi Halwa with step by step pictures.

Kasi Halwa is so easy to make and can be made quickly only the cleaning part takes a bit of effort and time. Do try this delicious kasi halwa halwa and enjoy!

About Kasi Halwa

Kasi halwa is an Indian sweet prepared using white pumpkin, ghee and sugar as main ingredients. Like other halwa made using vegetables like carrot, lauki this halwa also tastes so delicious.

I made this kasi halwa during last Diwali but somehow other sweets took priorities so thought to post it before this Diwali at least.

The first time when I made I was in a hurry to pack it to my friend place so the clicks didn’t come to my expectation so made it again the next week to post it here. This halwa is delicious and melt in the mouth texture, I added only little ghee so can make this guiltfree halwa anytime. Kids will love it for sure!

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Kasi Halwa Ingredients

White Pumpkin – Make sure to remove the seeds part and grate only the soft part. Squeeze the juice / water content from pumpkin to get the perfect texture for kasi halwa.
Sugar – Add sugar only after pumpkin is cooked completely.
Ghee – Use pure ghee, homemade is best. But if you don’t have homemade buy good quality ghee. Always have little more than required.
Color – The color is usually red or yellow. I have used saffron to get the yellow color. If you wish you can even use yellow food color.

How to make Kasi Halwa Step by Step

1.Remove the seeds part from ash gourd then remove the skin. Grate it using a grater.

2.There will be lot of water content, Set aside. To a bowl place a strainer on that place a muslin cloth. Add grated ash gourd along with water.

3.Tie the ends of the cloth and start squeezing. Squeeze completely and measure 1 cup, Set aside.

4.Reserve the collected water. To a heavy bottomed kadai add 1 tablespoon ghee, add ash gourd.

5.Saute for 3 minutes in low flame. Then add saffron along with 3/4th of reserved water. Mix it well.

6.Cook covered until the water content is almost reduced. By now saffron color must have blended well. Now open add sugar the mixture becomes goey.

7.Cook until it becomes thick. Add cardamom powder and edible camphor(crush and add). Add 2 tablespoon ghee and add cashews and fry until golden. Add it to halwa.

8.Cook until its non sticky. In few minutes the mixture will turn to a frothy whistish texture is seen(we call it vella pookarathu) in tamil. This is the correct stage so switch off.

Cool down and store.

Expert Tips

Don’t add more edible camphor than mentioned quantity as it will overpower the halwa.
Make sure raw smell is completely nil and also the veggie is cooked before you add sugar.
Instead of food color, I added just saffron and it gave a beautiful color.
Straining and adding gives a crunchy texture and its so good in taste so don’t skip that step.
If it sticks add 1 tablespoon ghee more. It actually doesn’t demand much of ghee like other halwa, it comes together easily.
Use heavy bottomed kadai as its easy to stir and involves less sticking. I used my heavy bottomed traditional steel kadai.

Serving and Storage

Kasi Halwa can be served hot or warm. This keeps well in fridge for about a week, reheat and serve it.

FAQS

1.Why is it called Kasi Halwa?

As per the name Kasi halwa has nothing related to the holy town Kashi. Guess this name kasi halwa must have come from Kashi Phal which is the hindi name for white pumpkin or ash gourd.

If you have any more questions about this Kasi Halwa Recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter .

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