Thursday, September 8, 2011

Papaya Halwa


Papaya in and as halwa has become our hot new favourite and as I am typing this , I dig in to a spoonful of the lip smacking treat  and any pleas from my angry waistline is given a cold shoulder- at-least for now. This recipe is already featured on Honest Cooking -I am a happy contributor to this Esteemed Online International Culinary Magazine. And yes make a good batch of it & tuck in- it's finger licking good !

This week has started on some chirpy notes and I am beaming. And the icing on the cake – a nod from the team of Honest Cooking to be part of their Contributors and yours truly is thoroughly delighted  - do I need any more reason to indulge my sweet tooth? A  recent posession of the treasured Recipe diary belonging to my mother-in-law was the perfect source for me to get my hearth afire –  the diary itself is quite frayed, edges torn and yellowed, but holds a lot of gems – many traditional, a few borrowed, some tried and tasted but all-in-all an awesome array of dishes.
Papaya Halwa from the recipe trove caught my eye and rightly so. My love for papaya is unparalleled; this luscious fruit  a power house of vitamins is completely power-packed with nutrition. Including papaya has whole lot of documented medicinal effects ranging from reducing the risk of heart diseases to protection from cancer and also aiding digestion and promoting lung health. Do you know that even the seeds of papaya are edible and can be used in salads? Since they have a slightly peppery and bitter taste, they can also be ground and used as a substitute for black pepper powder.
Phew – I can go on and on about these yum fruits. So when I saw a recipe of halwa with papaya, I had to make it. It was like the best of both worlds – Papaya in a sweet and dense preparation as halwa with chickpea flour and ghee also had the kids and hubby thoroughly hooked. What gave the sweet dish an additional oomph factor was the blend of cinnamon,edible camphor and a wee bit of salt – I tweaked the original recipe to add these 3 ingredients and it was one happy medley.



Ingredients:
  • Papaya Pulp – 2 cups (200 grams)
  • Sugar – 2 cups (400 grams)
  • Ghee – 4 to 5 tbsp
  • Chickpea Flour/Besan – 1 cup (100 grams)
  • Cinnamon Powder – 1 tsp
  • Edible Camphor – a pinch
  • Salt – 1/4 th of a pinch
  • Cardamom Powder – 3 to 4 pods (powdered)
  • Cashewnuts – a fistful
How: Cut the papaya in to chunks and have it pulped to a fine puree.
In a thick bottomed pan, add the papaya pulp and sugar and mix well.
On a low flame, let the mix cook for some time. Add cinnamon powder, edible camphor and very little salt to it and bring it to a boil. Lower the flame and add the chickpea flour and thorughly mix it till there are no lumps.
Let it simmer, while stirring continuously.
In the meanwhile in a separate pan , heat the ghee and  roast the cashewnuts till golden brown. Add this to the flour-papaya mix and let the mix cook till it thickens and gets the desired halwa like consistency.
Enjoy the lip smacking halwa!


38 comments:

  1. Are you teasing my already sore throat. I can't even swallow water and here you are showing off halwas. last click is so good. finger licking good Priya.

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  2. Yum yum! Had never heard or tasted papaya halwa until now Priya! Looks super delicious & u r a power house of information! :) never knew about the papaya seeds replacement to pepper seeds! Thanks a ton! Bookmarking this!

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  3. Halwa looks too tempting, wish I could have that whole bowl of halwa.

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  4. Congratulations for featuring on Honest Cooking. Halwa looks so tempting.

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  5. Very tempting and lovely healthy fruit halwa..lovely clicks!!

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  6. Congrats on being a contributor to Honest Cooking!
    This halwa is new to me. The last pic is a master piece.

    Do check out my event and send me your entries.

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  7. very tempting indeed! I am wondering about the addition of besan! Surely an interesting blend!!

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  8. Congrats dear and the Halwa luks delicious...I want to taste a spoon rite now :)

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  9. Congrats Priya. This is great news. Lip smacking halwa recipe. Must try. It looks super yum. Must have tasted even better.

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  10. So tempting priya. Texture is very awesome. I never think of making halwa whenever I eat papaya.

    Cheers,
    Uma

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  11. Halwa looks tempting and fabulous.

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  12. Fabulous halwa, very innovative recipe.

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  13. Love the glossy texture n the gorgeous golden color ~ I so want to taste some right now:)
    Congrats on your achievement ~ way to go!
    USMasala

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  14. Such an yummyy goooyyy halwa..Congrats on ur milestone..

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  15. Very tempting and delicious Halwa. Feel like grabbing the bowl.

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  16. Wow ...drooling here .....looks so so yum

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  17. Congratulations and what a mouthwatering halwa...

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  18. It is long since I've literally drooled looking at a dish over the internet. The halwa looks damn delicious Priya. I just need that bowl and I would immediately dig in... Yummy yummy!! :)

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  19. Very tempting and delicious looking halwa. excellent dessert.
    Deepa

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  20. looks super yummy, pappaya in halwa is new to me, superb recipe..

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  21. I am so in love with your Halwa just by the looks.I am bookmarking this as I am sure it would satisfy my sweet tooth or sweet teeth :)

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  22. Congrats dear. Papaya halwa is new and looks yummy.

    Vardhini
    Event: Herbs and Flowers - Garlic

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  23. Feel like relishing some spoons of this glossy halwa,soo tempting..congrats Priya..

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  24. Priya it looks mouth watering, I'm dying for a taste! I've missed you very much, it's been a busy summer here. :)

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  25. Mmmm....Looks too good...Mouthwatering Halwa...And Congratualtions for being selected as contributor to Honest Cooking!

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  26. this looks utterly delicious Priya, I'm glad I came across your blog. so happy to follow you! thnx for the follow and your visit!

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  27. I have heard of papaya halwa, but never made it myself! This sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
    http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com

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  28. I have never tried Papaya halwa before. It sounds so interesting. Thanks for sharing!

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  29. 3cute awards are waiting for you.. do accept them dear..

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  30. Papaya halwa..never heard of it before. Super yumm. Drooling here!!

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  31. Papaya halwa looks awesome, Priya :)

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  32. congrats dear - missed that part!

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