Ingredients

• 1 tbsp - chuna.
• Water.
• 250 g - white pumpkin.
• 800 g - sugar.
• 1 tsp - saffron/kesar.
• 1 tsp - ice-cream essence.

How to Make Petha

• Add 1 tbsp of chuna to water (approximately 3/4 of a stock pot).
• Let the water sit for 3-4 hours.
• Strain the water with a muslin cloth into another container.
• Cut the pumpkin into small pieces and add to the strained chuna water.
• Stir once every hour for 10 hours.
• The next day, boil some fresh water.
• Wash the pumpkin pieces with fresh cold water few times and add to the boiling water.
• Cook until they are translucent.
• In a separate pan, dissolve the sugar in water to make a thick sugar syrup.
• Add the pumpkin pieces to the sugar syrup and give it a stir once every hour for 10 hours.
• The following day, take out the pumpkin pieces and boil the sugar syrup.
• Once boiled, return the chopped pumpkin to the syrup.
• Add icecream essence and kesar. Stir well.
• Store refrigerated.