Vegan Bunny Elle

Inspired by Indian Halwa, this simple, wholesome custard jelly recipe is here to turn a dreamy tropical fruit into an even dreamier treat!

Halwa is a rich, pudding-like Indian dessert that holds a special place in the country’s culinary heart, particularly during festivals, weddings, and cold winter months. There are many variaties of Halwa across different Indian regions – Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa), Sooji ka Halwa (Semolina Halwa), Moong Dal Halwa, etc.

And the inspiration for this specific recipe is Karachi Halwa, or Bombay Halwa, which has a chewy, jelly-like texture. And what’s really special about the cooking process is that it’s made without gelatin or even agar agar, instead, it relies on the gelatinization of corn starch.

When I happened to get this giant, perfectly ripe papaya, my mind immediately went to Bombay Halwa! The naturally sweet, tender, and refined texture of papaya is a perfect base for halwa. Before you start, it’s worth noting that this is not gonna be a “quick n’ easy” recipe. It is actually quite easy, but definitely not quick. To make this delicate dessert without any gelling agent like gelatin or agar agar, you’ll need two most underrated ingredients, patience and time.

And for the seeds of the papaya, do not throw them out! Papaya seeds are naturally rich in powerful antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and anti-parasitics! You can swallow the seeds raw, or, my personal favorite way to eat them, is to dehydrate them and use them as black pepper! If you have a dehydrator, it takes 5-6 hours to completely dry out the seeds, then you can grind them just like black pepper in your pepper mill. Or, you can use your oven, dry the seeds at 150°F for about 5 hours, and monitor them as they go.

Papaya Custard Jelly No Gelatin No Agar

Only 4-5 ingredients and you can turn your papaya into this dreamy, delicate, wholesome dessert inspired by Indian Halwa.

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Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 kg papaya flesh
• 1 cup soy milk or coconut milk
• 1 cup custard powder see note
• 2 tablespoon vegan butter
• Shredded coconut optional

Method

 

1. Make sure your papaya is ripe and ready to eat! It should not be rock hard to touch, somewhat soft but not mushy, it should smell rich and sweet and the flesh would be a deep orange color;
2. Scoop out enough papaya flesh, measure 1 kg, add in the soy milk, blend on high until completely smooth;
3. Sift in the custard powder, stir to mix very well, no lump;
4. Transfer the mixture into a large pan, heat on medium – low, stir occasionally;
5. Once you see strands of darker orange color appearing and the mixture starts to thicken, add in 1/2 tablespoon of vegan butter, stir to mix in;
6. Continue to cook over medium to medium low heat, make sure to continuously stir to the bottom doesn’t burn, the mixture should get thicker and starts to gelatinize and become solid, add the rest of the vegan butter gradually during this process;
7. Once the mixture can pretty much “hug” together and hold shape, it took me almost 2 hours of slow cooking, transfer the cooked mixture into your mold or dish lined with parchment paper;
8. Let is set in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight;
9. Slice the set jelly into cubes, coat them with shredded coconut, they’re best when served chilled! They can keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, enjoy!

Video

Notes

Custard powder is a pantry premix for, well, custard. I used this one I got online. You can also use cornstarch in place of custard powder, although custard powder taste better!