Watermelon Rind Halva

Watermelon halwa … an easy way to satisfy your sweet craving and it tastes amazingly delicious. This is one of those desserts which is just perfect for any celebration and requires only a few ingredients. The main ingredients for this watermelon halwa are Watermelon Rind, ghee and sugar. Yes, you read it right .. this halwa is prepared from the rind of watermelon which is usually thrown as waste. Doesn’t it feel good making food out of something that’s usually trash? Watermelon halwa looks and tastes almost similar to Ashgourd halva.

Ingredients

2 cups watermelon rind (white part)

1/4 cup jaggery

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp elaichi /cardamom powder

1/2 tsp saffron colour /saffron soaked in milk

Cashewnuts and raisins as required

2 tbsp ghee

2 tsp crumbled khoya (optional)

Procedure

• After cutting the watermelon take out the skin. Cut the green part of watermelon skin and grate only the white portion ( rind ).

• Use a bigger hole side to grate and apply pressure while grating.

• To a thick bottom Kadai, add ghee. Saute grated watermelon rind till it's translucent or almost till all water has evaporated.

• You can see that after some time, it starts leaving the water. Saute in between till almost all water has evaporated. It may take around 10 minutes.

• Once the water has almost evaporated, add the sugar.

• You can see once we have added sugar, halwa will again start leaving water and become watery.

• Keep flame on medium-high, stir in between and continue to cook till water is reduced. It takes a while for the water to reduce, so better plan making Halwa in such a way that you have other works in the kitchen and in between you mix this halwa, else it get s very boring.

• Add ghee in intervals and continue in sauteing. Add Kesar / saffron soaked in hot milk.

• When Halwa has started thickening, add just 1-2 tsp crumbled Khova or cream or 1-2 tsp chiroti rava. This will give good texture.

• Finally, add cardamom powder, raisins and nuts roasted in ghee and cook further.

• When Ghee starts oozing out and halwa comes out as a mass. it's done. Switch off the flame.

• Enjoy the halva hot or warm.