Calabaza en Tacha
Calabaza en Tacha, or Mexican candied pumpkin, is a traditional Mexican dessert made from pumpkin, piloncillo, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 16 ounces piloncillo
- 3 cups water
- 2 Ceylon cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole clove
- Zest of ¼ medium orange
- 5 pounds pumpkin, scrubbed and cleaned (about 1 small-medium pumpkin)
Instructions
- Add the piloncillo, water, cinnamon sticks, clove, and orange zest to a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the piloncillo completely dissolves.
- Meanwhile, cut and discard the stem of the pumpkin. Slice it in half, discard the seeds and any stringy flesh, and cut it into 3 ½ to 4-inch chunks.
- Carefully add the pumpkin chunks to the pot skin side up.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 60 minutes. The pumpkin should be fork-tender, and the flesh should be a beautiful golden brown color.
- Carefully transfer the cooked pumpkin to a serving tray or bowl and set aside.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and reduce the piloncillo syrup for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve the candied pumpkin in bowls with a generous amount of syrup.
Notes
- Piloncillo: If you can't find piloncillo near you, use 2 cups of dark brown sugar instead.
- Cinnamon sticks: If you can't find Ceylon cinnamon sticks, you can use regular Cassia cinnamon sticks instead.
- Make sure to layer the pumpkin pieces in the pot skin side up so that the flesh is able to touch and be submerged in the piloncillo syrup during cooking. The pumpkin will release a lot of liquid as well, so don’t worry if you think it doesn’t seem like enough liquid.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 1044mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 63g | Vitamin A: 24137IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 3mg