Instant pot Kasi Halwa / Poosanikai halwa in instant pot

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Kasi halwa is the star of any south Indian tamizh wedding. In our weddings, this kasi halwa always features. I always wonder why the name of Kasi is given to this particular halwa? Is it because this halwa with ash gourd is made and served to the groom after the traditional Kasi yatra ceremony?. Maybe yes. The only cribbing that I always have is it is served in less quantity. I wish they would serve more. However, instead of waiting for a wedding to take place this wedding season, I decided to make this at home. This time I prepared this instant pot Kasi halwa. Yes, I cooked this traditional Kasi halwa instantly too.

Ingredients used in Kasi Halwa:

Ash gourd is the hero in this halwa. We will use the grated ash gourd along with sugar to dish out this delicious halwa. The flavouring agents that we will be using are cardamom powder and saffron. Of course, a traditional Indian sweet cannot be complete without the addition of ghee. So the ghee goes into this to make it more luscious. To get the Kalyana Kasi halwa flavour, we will use half oil and half ghee as the fat. The choice is always yours to use the fat which you prefer to.

How can I make Kasi halwa without an instant pot

You do not have an instant pot? Worry not. We can cook this without any electric pressure cooker. Traditionally this halwa is cooked in an open pot. I use the instant pot to cook it as it is easier and faster to cook. We can follow the same procedure to cook it in a pressure cooker. We can also cook it in an open pot without using any pressure cooker.

Kasi halwa in instant pot:

INGREDIENTS:

Ash gourd (grated)    — 2 cups

Sugar                            — 1 Cup

Saffron                         — Few strands

Cardamom powder   — 1/4 tsp

Ghee                             — 3 tbsp

PREPARATION OF KASI HALWA

1. Remove the skin and pith of the ash gourd. Grate it finely. Keep it aside
2. Switch ON the instant pot. Put it on SAUTE MODE.
3. Add the ghee to the inner pot and spread it well.
4. Now add the cashews and let it roast well. Take it out and keep it separately.
5. Cancel the saute mode.
6. Put it PRESSURE COOK MODE FOR 5 MINS
7. Squeeze out all the water from the ash gourd and spread it evenly inside the inner pot.
8. Now put the sugar on top of this and spread well
9. Add the cardamom powder and saffron
10. Close the lid. Keep the vent in sealing position and pressure cook for 5 minutes
11. Let the pressure release normally
12. Open the lid and mix it. You will use a good amount of liquid
13. Now put the instant pot back on SAUTE MORE FOR 10 MINUTES
14. Add the remaining ghee and keep mixing often
15. Once most of the liquid evaporates, switch off the instant pot and transfer the halwa to another dish for it to cool down completely.
16. Serve warm

Halwa from other vegetables that we can prepare in Instant pot:

We can prepare halwa from bottle gourd or dhoodhi in a similar way. We can prepare dhoodhi halwa on the stovetop too as shown here. The halwa from carrot is most sought after. Here I have prepared carrot halwa in Nutripot. The same directions can be used to prepare this carrot halwa in the instant pot