pumpkin kheer recipe - a flavorsome, easy to prepare, traditional navratri sweet

                                         pumpkin kheer recipe 

         a flavorsome, easy to prepare, traditional                                      navratri sweet 

it’s navratri. the nine nights when goddess shakti or durga is worshipped through all of her nine forms one every day. the sharad navrathri being in full swing right now, many people all over india are embracing the spiritual purification of mind-body-soul via various disciplined practices with respect to food, behavior and also thinking.

the practices with respect to food, during this phase, vary to a certain extent in different regions of india. certain grains, vegetables, spices are avoided during this phase as you can read here. there is a clear seasonal affect to this practice too. vegetables available in abundance in this season are made use of the most, benefiting not only the consumer, but also the farmers who grow them. fresh and seasonal produce is like nectar to the body. one such vegetable is pumpkin.

did you know, a cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin provides more than 200% of daily required vitamin A for someone on a normal diet, needed for better eyesight in dim light.

a fiber rich vegetable, it can keep you fuller for longer with fewer calories ingested. a cup of cooked mashed pumpkin also provides more potassium than banana, which is beneficial for our muscles and balancing our blood pressure, for someone on a normal diet. many reasons to include pumpkin in our diet, right? but of course always follow your doctor’s/nutritionist’s advice if you are considering making any changes to your advised diet.

pumpkins can be seen everywhere in the market at the moment, at its best quality and also price. the beautiful looking pile of sweet pumpkins piled up, beckoned me at the store. i simply had to get them and make the most of them. the first thought that occurred to me was pumpkin kheer.

pumpkin kheer recipe - kaddu ki kheer

pumpkin kheer recipe - a flavorsome, easy to prepare, traditional navratri sweet dish with pumpkin.

RECIPE TYPE: dessert

CUISINE: north indian

SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

2 cups of 1 inch pieces of diced pumpkin/kaddu (roughly 220 grams)

3 cups of milk (almond milk for vegan version)

3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar or add as per taste (i used unrefined demerara sugar; you can use regular sugar)

5 finely sliced almonds/badam

5 finely sliced pistachios

5 roughly chopped cashew nuts (optional)

1 teaspoon of ghee or oil (optional)

½ teaspoon cardamom/ choti elaichi powder

½ teaspoon nutmeg/ jaiphal powder

¼ to ½ teaspoon cinnamon/ dalchini powder

INSTRUCTIONS

chop and peel the pumpkin to roughly 1 inch pieces. take two cups of such pieces. (roughly 220 grams)

discard the stringy inner portion. (you can save the pumpkin seeds, wash and dry them and use as a a snack or as additions to other recipes)

cook these pieces in a pressure cooker adding 3 cups of water. turn off the heat after 2 whistles. allow the pressure to release naturally. (while the pumpkin is cooking, you can slice the nuts and powder the cardamom/choti elaichi, nutmeg/jaiphal and keep them ready)

you can also cook the pumpkin in an open pan, to do this, simmer in a pot of water until soft.

then strain the cooked pumpkin and discard the water.

now, mash the cooked pumpkin pieces using a fork or potato masher.

roughly chop the cashew nuts. then, in a thick bottomed, deep pan, add a teaspoon of ghee or oil. fry the broken cashew nuts until golden brown. take them out of the pan, keep them aside until needed. this step is optional. you can just add finely sliced nuts after the kheer is fully cooked.

in the same pan, add 3 cups of milk. bring it to a boil by heating it on a low to medium flame.

once it comes to a boil, simmer and keep stirring it now and again, taking the ladle deep into the pan, touching the bottom. this is to avoid the milk catching at the base. continue cooking the milk this way for 5 minutes. keep clearing the sides and the base as it cooks. keep the heat low enough to allow it to boil but not spill over.

after 5 minutes, add the cooked, mashed pumpkin puree. mix well. mash lumps of pumpkin is any. bring this to a boil.

next add 3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar. again stir to allow the sugar to dissolve and get mixed in. this will need about 1 to 2 minutes.

as the sugar dissolves, if not done already, powder the cardamom and grate the nutmeg, slice the almonds, pistachios. keep these ready.

add ½ teaspoon of cardamom/hari elaichi powder, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg/jaiphal powder, half the quantity of sliced nuts, mix and turn off the heat.

if you wish you can add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cinnamon/dal chini powder also. add and mix well.

offer the pumpkin kheer garnished with the remaining sliced nuts to the goddess and/or share with your family.

NOTES

- you can use low fat milk for the recipe if preferred, it will taste good. in that case, leave out the ghee also.

- for vegan version, use almond milk in place of cow's milk. use oil in place of ghee.

- nutmeg/jaiphal, cinnamon/dal chini are optional. if you do not prefer the inclusion/taste, leave them out.

- method for using grated pumpkin: boil the milk in a thick bottomed pot. once it comes to a boil, add grated pumpkin and cook the mixture until pumpkin softens all the while stirring, clearing the sides and base. then add sugar,cook until it dissolves, add the cardamom(hari elaichi), and other powders, sliced nuts and serve.

Thank you