During the month of Sawan, during fasting days, if you crave something sweet, tasty, and healthy, zucchini halwa is considered the best choice. People often assume that making a crumbly and creamy zucchini halwa, similar to a confectioner's halwa, requires a lot of expensive mawa or milk powder.
However, it is known that with just 20 rupees worth of fresh zucchini and milk available at home, you can prepare a crumbly halwa, similar to what is served at weddings, without using mawa. The preparation of this dish is very simple, and it is so delicious that everyone will want to eat it—from children who love zucchini to elderly people. Below is a simple and secret recipe.
The following ingredients are needed for preparation: fresh zucchini (500 grams, peeled and grated, seeds removed), full-fat milk (1/2 liter), sugar (1/2 cup, to taste), ghee (2-3 tablespoons), cardamom powder (1/2 teaspoon), chopped nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios) (2 tablespoons), and green food coloring (a pinch, optional, to give a beautiful color like a confectioner's).
First, the zucchini must be peeled and washed, then the seeds removed and grated. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a saucepan. Add the grated zucchini and fry over low or medium heat for 4-5 minutes to eliminate the raw taste and excess moisture.
After this, add the full-fat milk to the fried zucchini. Simmer the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until all the milk has evaporated and thickened to a texture resembling mawa, without adding mawa.
When the milk has completely evaporated, stir in the sugar and cardamom powder. After adding the sugar, the mixture becomes slightly thinner; it needs to be evaporated again over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee and lightly fry the chopped nuts. These fried nuts are then added to the halwa. The finished crumbly zucchini halwa, prepared without mawa and milk powder, is ready. It can be served both hot and chilled.
