Sweet Pumpkin Fudge (Kohola Papdi)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ash Gourd (Winter Melon) pulp, boiled and squeezed dry (Originally '2 Sher'. You will need approx 6-8 lbs of raw ash gourd to yield this amount of dry pulp.)
• 2 pounds Ghee (Originally '2 Sher'. Can be reduced if desired, but traditional recipe is very rich.)
• 2 pounds Granulated Sugar (Originally '2 Sher crushed Chinese sugar'.)
• 1 pound Mava (Khoya/Milk Solids), fresh and unsweetened (Originally '1 Sher'.)
• 1/2 pound Almonds, blanched and peeled (Originally '0.5 Sher'.)
• 2 tablespoons Cardamom powder (Originally '2 Tola' (approx 23g).)
• 1 tablespoon Nutmeg powder (Originally '1 Tola' (approx 11g).)
• 1/2 teaspoon Rose Essence (Originally '20 to 50 drops'. Optional.)
• 1 cup Water (or Rose Water) (Estimated for making syrup. Original suggests using rose water for better taste.)

Instructions

1. 1Peel the ripe ash gourd and remove all seeds and soft pulp. Grate the firm flesh or cut it into small pieces. Boil the gourd in water until soft. Drain well, place the pulp in a clean cloth (khadi), and squeeze tightly to remove absolutely all moisture. The pulp must be completely dry. Measure out 2 pounds of this prepared pulp for the recipe.
2. 2Heat the ghee in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Fry the blanched almonds until they turn a golden almond color, then remove them and crush them coarsely. In the same ghee, fry the boiled and dried ash gourd pulp until it is cooked through. Remove the fried pulp and set aside. (Optional: You may also lightly fry the mava in the ghee until reddish, or use it raw as directed in the next step).
3. 3In a large pan, combine the sugar with the water (or rose water) to make a syrup. If using raw mava, add it to the thin syrup and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. If using fried mava, cook the syrup until it reaches a thread consistency first, then add the mava. Add the fried gourd, crushed almonds, and remaining ghee to the mixture. Cook over low heat (originally 'on coals'), stirring continuously until the mixture becomes very thick, leaves the sides of the pan, and reaches a setting consistency.
4. 4Once the mixture is thick enough to bind, stir in the cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, and rose essence (if using). Remove from heat immediately. Pour the mixture into a greased high-walled tray (thali). Flatten the surface with a flat-bottomed bowl (kansi) to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Allow it to cool and set completely. Once firm, cut into square or diamond pieces.