Well, it's my first blog ever and so I wanted to share a childhood memory through food. The menus created in my house had a lot of Catholic and Punjabi influences due to my parent’s lineage. So we have been blessed to get a taste of both cultures. And of course a third Culture too … through marriage – which I shall share in due course. The recipe I’m sharing comes from the Punjabi side of my family. It’s my grandmothers recipe passed onto her Catholic daughter-in–law, my mother.

My dear Mom, who has played a very important role in my culinary journey, would prepare one of the most divine dessert from the simple and humble Pumpkin. An exotic looking and tasting Pumpkin Halwa !!!! Trust me this is no ordinary dessert. As a child I didn’t realize the hard work that went behind making this. I would just demand it and it would be ready. Now when I planned to make it after decades; I would always be able to persuade her to make it earlier, I realized how much trouble she went through to make this delicious and heart warming dessert.

I like to add some crunch to the Halwa. Almonds, cashew nuts, etc. can be added. To make it more interesting and different, I’ve added toasted melon seeds to the Halwa. You can add pumpkin seeds too.