Lauki Ka Halwa | Bottle Gourd Halwa
Lauki Halwa or Bottle gourd halwa is a simple Indian sweet dish. This Indian pudding made with bottle gourd and is packed with nutrition. This dudhi halwa dessert is mostly prepared during festivals or days when people fast as it fills then up and gives them enough nutrition. This sweet Indian dessert is made with grated bottle gourd, milk, condensed milk or khoya, sugar and lots of dry fruits.
Servings 4 People
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized bottle gourd / 2 cups grated bottle gourd
- 1 and 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup condensed milk
- 15 cashewnuts chopped
- 15 almonds chopped
- 7 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- Few more almonds cashewnuts and pistachios chopped, for garnish
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Chop almonds and cashewnuts and microwave it in 1/2 cup water for 2 minutes. Keep them aside.
- Wash, peel, and grate the bottle gourd by discarding the husk and seeds.
- Heat a kadai or saucepan and add ghee.
- When ghee gets heated, add grated bottle gourd, and stir fry for 10 minutes.
- Add milk and let it simmer for 20 minutes on low flame.
- Keep stirring in between to ensure that bottle gourd does not stick to the bottom of the kadai.
- Add condensed milk, stir, and let it simmer. Keep stirring in between.
- Add the microwaved dry fruits. Do not add water if which remains after microwaving dry fruits.
- After 15-20 Mins, you will notice that the milk would have reduced to 1/4.
- At this stage stir continuously till lauki starts separating from the edges of the kadai.
- Add the sugar and keep stirring continuously.
- Add a pinch of salt and stir till the lauki halwa thickens and ghee being released from the sides.
- Garnish with finely chopped almonds, cashewnuts and pistachios and few strands of kesar/saffron.
Notes
- Increase the sweetness by adding more sugar if needed.
- Usually bottle gourd is slightly bitter. To remove bitterness, you can squeeze the water completely. I did not do this step.
- I did not add any artificial color to the halwa. If you want the halwa to look green like how you get in restaurants, you can add a pinch of edible green food color.
- Serve it hot or chilled.