This humble Bottle Gourd Pudding or Lauki Halwa is a sweet delicacy made in every Indian home especially during winters. It is prepared with grated bottle gourd (Lauki or Doodhi), milk, sugar, khoya and flavored with delicate cardamom powder and garnished with rich and royal dry fruits of your choice.
With a light green outer skin and greenish-white flesh, this bottle gourd has a tad sweet taste and is low in calories and nutritious as well.
Winters set in and we all crave some sweet dishes and halwa comes as the most preferred choice. The quintessential Carrot or Gajar Halwa or even the most simple and humble Sooji Halwa or this earthy Chickpea or Besan Halwa are some of the recipes that you may like and even may want to try.
Recipe of Bottle Gourd Pudding, Lauki Halwa
Ingredients:
1/2 kg bottle gourd (doodhi/lauki) , peeled and grated
1 cup Mava (khoya)(optional)
1 cups Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)
1 cup Almonds and pistachio flakes
a handful of dry rose petals
Method:
1. Firstly, Peel and grate the Lauki and keep it aside in a bowl.
2. Secondly, add ghee in a pan and strain the excess water from lauki and add it to the same pan and saute on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
3. Now add the hot milk and keep stirring till it reduces and becomes thick for 6-7 minutes.
4. Add the cardamom powder and sugar once the milk is evaporated, mix well, and cook, for 4-5 minutes till all the sugar has mixed well.
5. Once you see the lauki halwa is reduced in quantity and cooked well, switch off the flame and garnish it will nut and dry rose petals.
Important Tips:
- Use fresh doodhi, (bottle gourd )for this halwa.
- Khoya or mawa is optional in this recipe, if you are using it add at after step 5.
- You can either roast dry fruits like almonds and pistas in ghee or add it just like that.
- This halwa will taste good even if served hot or cold.
- Moreover, you can also freeze this halwa in an air-tight box for a month. Simply defrost it or microwave for a minute before eating it.
Recipe of Bottle Gourd Pudding, Lauki Halwa
Ingredients
- 1 kg bottle gourd doodhi/lauki , peeled and grated
- 1 cup Mava khoya(optional)
- 2 cups Milk
- 1 cup or more Sugar
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Cardamom powder Elaichi powder
- 1 cup Almonds and pistachio flakes
- 2 tsp Rose Water
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan, add the almonds and pistachios and fry till golden brown, Remove and keep aside.
- Peel and grate the Lauki and keep it aside in a bowl.
- Strain the excess water from Lauki and add it to the same pan and saute on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
- Add the hot milk and keep stirring till it reduces and becomes thick.
- Add the sugar, mix well, and cook, till it reduces.
- Add the khoya,1 tbsp ghee, Almonds, pistachios, and cardamom powder and mix well.
- When the halwa is cooked and becomes thick, add the rose water and mix well and serve it hot.
