The Magical Ingredients for a Wholesome Life From the Heart of my Home: Pumpkin Rabdi

This is a delicious, rich, and creamy dessert flavored with pumpkin, saffron, and cardamom. This simple milk based dessert is perfect for any fall entertaining. This can be served hot, warm, or chilled.

Rabdi (aka rabri) is a creamy dessert from North Indian cuisine. It is made by reducing milk, flavored with cardamom and saffron, and topped with nuts. Pumpkin rabdi, as the name implies, is the pumpkin version of the traditional rabdi.

This pumpkin rabdi can be made similarly to the traditional rabdi recipe. You add pumpkin to it , that's the extra ingredient. I have used pumpkin chunks, as I love to have a bite of it here and there. Pumpkin cooks quickly and the chunks work beautifully well. Grated pumpkin can also be added. There are a couple of things to keep in mind while making this. It is a great idea to stir often, so that the milk doesn't scorch at the bottom. A dollop of ghee helps with this, and try to cook in a low-medium flame. High flame can lead to burning, and this would spoil the flavor of the rabdi.

If you are wondering why pumpkin rabdi, then check the following points. Pumpkin, the amazing orange colored winter squash, is an incredible source of nutrients like vitamins, iron, and potassium. It is packed with vitamin A precursors and our body can easily convert them to Vitamin A when we consume it. I always find numerous ways to include nutrition packed veggies in the diet. Specially, when you have general picky eaters, or picky to specific veggies. Plus, rabdi is also one of our favorites. Combining both into one dessert is a smart idea to use the locally available veggie of the season and benefitting from its nutrition!

It is hard to realize that it is September already. It is as if we celebrated the New Year in the winter, and already spring and Summer have rolled by. It is soon going to be the Fall. With apples, pears, and persimmons loaded on the trees, pumpkins and spaghetti squash ready for harvest, we welcome Fall, my favorite season of the year! It is amazing to see fall colors! Another favorite part of the season is the addictive and delicious foods. I love the welcoming home filled with the aroma of cinnamon and apples. Yet another favorite part of the season is our #fallflavorsweek!

Welcome to the fourth annual #FallFlavors! We have 21 bloggers sharing over SIXTY recipes using fall ingredients like squash, apples, maple, pecans, and many more. Follow #FallFlavors to see all the delicious recipes on social media. Follow the Favorite Fall Recipes Facebook group and follow the Favorite Fall Flavors Pinterest board for more fall inspiration!

Like I said before, I love to include pumpkin in many recipes. I love this pumpkin curry and this pumpkin kootu for its sweet and spicy flavors. But not everyone in our home. Instead, if I make these pumpkin dinner rolls, or the pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or the pumpkin parathas, they are gone in a flash. This rabdi with pumpkin chunks or grated pumpkin is close to our heart, and is one of the fall favorites, just like this Vegan Pumpkin Halwa!

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

Milk - 4 cups

Pumpkin - 1 cup, 1-in cubes

Sugar - 1/3 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp

Saffron - a generous pinch

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Pumpkin seeds - 1 tbsp, optional

Method

Heat the milk with ghee on a low-medium heat and reduce it to half the quantity, stirring now and then. During this process, as and when the cream separates, push it to the side, mix well and let it simmer. This gives the perfect texture. This may take about 40-45 minutes.