Lauki Halwa

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
• 2 cups tightly packed grated lauki or 300 grams lauki (bottle gourd or opo squash or dudhi)
• 2 cups whole milk – milk can be pasteurized or boiled before and can be used at room temperature or chilled
• 7 to 8 tablespoons sugar or add as required
• 5 to 6 green cardamoms – powdered or crushed or ½ to 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped nuts – almonds, cashews or pistachios
• 1 tablespoons raisins – optional

Instructions 

Grating Bottle Gourd

Step 1: Firstly rinse, peel and grate the lauki. Before grating taste the lauki. If it tastes sour or bitter then discard and do not cook it. 

Step 2: You will need 2 cups tightly packed grated lauki.

Making Lauki Halwa

Step 1: Heat ghee in a heavy pan or kadai on medium-low to medium flame. Use a large kadai so that milk does not spill outside.

Step 2: Add the grated lauki. Mix grated lauki very well with the ghee.

Step 3: On a low to medium-low flame begin to saute the lauki. Stir often when sauteing lauki.

Step 4: Saute lauki till the moisture dries. Then add whole milk and mix very well.

Step 5: Continue to cook on a low to medium-low flame till the milk comes to a boil. In between do stir at times.

Step 6: The milk will start boiling. At this step be attentive and keep on stirring, so that the milk does not spill from the pan.

Step 7: Stirring often continue to cook till ¾ or 75% of the milk has reduced and absorbed.

Step 8: Add sugar and chopped nuts. Mix very well. You can even add 2 to 3 teaspoons of rose water or kewra water (pandanus water) if you want at this step.

Step 9: Stirring often cook till the halwa mixture starts coming together and thickens.

Step 10: The halwa will gradually thicken and you will see some ghee being released from the sides. There should not be any liquid in the dudhi halwa.

Step 11: Then switch off the heat and add golden raisins. Adding raisins is optional. Mix very well.

Step 12: Garnish with some chopped nuts and serve lauki halwa hot or warm. Refrigerate remaining halwa. It stays good for a couple of days in the refrigerator.