Creating a blog was out of the question for a long time for me, as measuring everything in the kitchen was like biting into an eggshell. I enjoy cooking and don’t want to waste even a slightest bit of enjoyment in that small world of mine. But little did I know that everything will change, when my husband came home with the Oscar nominated film ‘Julie and Julia’( a real life story) where Julie Powell (part played by Amy Adams) challenged herself to make all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's cook book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and blogging all her experiences (The Julie/Julia Project). It was an inspiring movie. A few days later when we were discussing this casually with a friend of ours over tea…everything changed dramatically…..” How about you making at least half of it in one year? Not French but your own. 262 recipes that will inspire others and present it as a blog?” For a minute my mind traveled faster than light… With an experience as a helper in my mother in laws kitchen for 6 years followed by a three year everyday struggle to satisfy the palate of my foodie husband, if I cannot do it then why should I cook? But on the other side with an experience in English literature extending no more than expanding outline stories in English grammar class when I was 18 and two small kids that come in handy at times, will a commitment for the next one year work? Anyway my ‘cook's ego’ didn’t allow me to say no...

So my friends …here I am opening my recipe book, trying to perfect and present 262 recipes in the coming 365 days….A Challenge that will of course tastes good. Come.. Have a walk with me along my journey.. Cheering and inspiring….Forgiving and tolerating…Testing and tasting….for ‘A Tasty Challenge’

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Monday, March 14, 2011

Papaya Halwa

Recipe No: 218
Throughout the years, we used to have at least one Papaya plant at a time, in our backyard and my Mother used to make a  variety of dishes with Papaya. Of all those dishes two of them were desserts, one is Papaya Fruit Salad and the other  is Papaya Halwa. Even though she didn’t have an exact recipe for this (like everything else) , I followed the exact same procedure. I didn’t use any colors in this dish but, with the color of the Papaya it can range from light orange to dark orange.
Ingredients                                      
  • Papaya cut into cubes……………1 ¼ kg (Peel and remove the seeds)
  • Sugar………………………………....250 grams
  • Broken Cashew pieces…………..1/4 Cup
  • Ghee…………………………………...1/4 -1/3 cup
  • Cardamom Powder………………1/2 Teaspoon
Method of Preparation 
  1. Blend Papaya really well using just enough Water to make the blender work. (½ - ¾ cup Water will do)
  2. Heat a pan and boil the blended Papaya till it starts to form big bubbles.
  3. Add Sugar and stir to combine; let it boil on high until it starts to come from the sides.
  4. Add the Ghee, a tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  5. Mix in the Cashew pieces and stir till the Ghee starts to ooze out slightly.
  6. Mix in the Cardamom Powder and remove it from the pan into a buttered dish; press the top and even it out with the back of a spoon; let it cool down.
  7. Cut into pieces and serve at room temperature; store the leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes: 
  • The amount of Sugar in this recipe will not make the Halwa too sweet like the regular ones. So if you want it sweeter add more Sugar.
  • There are chances for the mixture to splatter while cooking. So please use a splatter guard or cover it partially with the lid of the pan and guard yourself while stirring.
  • Once it starts to form large bubbles, do stir the Halwa constantly to avoid burning in the bottom.
  • Wipe off the extra Ghee from the Halwa using a Paper towel.
  • As it is a Sugar based Halwa, it will reach its correct consistency fast. Stop cooking as soon as you see Ghee oozing out. If it goes too far, it will become hard when cooled. But still you have to stir till the Ghee oozes out, or it will not be able to cut the Halwa into pieces.






Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love…

8 comments:

Unknown said...

wow...looks so delicious...just loved it !

http://onlyfishrecipes.blogspot.com/

Indian Khana said...

Yummy ...looks so gud Asha ...gr8 work

Padhu Sankar said...

Wow! Halwa from papaya. I too have a papaya plant in my garden .This halwa sounds yummy

Unknown said...

Great job healthy and looks amazing

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Halwa looks awesome Asha...very tempting one..


FunWidFud

Priya Suresh said...

Woww cant take my eyes from the clicks, stunning clicks, never had papaya halwa, looks yummy..

Lifewithspices said...

wow wow never tried papaya halwa ..its a new one..lokks yummm n colorful!!

sojo said...

Hey where did my comment go? I did comment... so here it is again... Wonderful Job, Asha!!! and again reminding u... u have to seriously think about writing a book... it will be a best seller for sure....

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