Lauki ka halwa – Bottlegourd pudding

Bottle gourd or Calabash gourd, is a healthy and versatile vegetable commonly cooked in every Indian kitchen. This vegetable is quite like the unsung hero, known for it’s medicinal properties.

Personally, I never took any interest in this vegetable My mom, the forever wise woman, started introducing this humble vegetable into my daily food through very delicacies such as Bottle gourd paranthas, koftas, raitas etc, without even me noticing. Kids are finicky ! Period !! 😛

My father was diagnosed with severe diabetes and overnight all sweets vanished from our kitchen and the cupboards. Desserts became once- in -a- week treats and homemade. All this because, so dad didn’t feel tempted to eat sweets. This worked perfectly and resulted into mom making interesting desserts once a week and we got introduced to unusual traditional desserts. Lauki ka halwa was one such interesting and lip -smacking desssert.

Lauki ka halwa or Bottle gourd pudding, is an unusual traditional dessert. Unusual, because of it’s principal ingredient – bottle gourd.

Halwas are dense sweet confections with a long shelf life.

Here’s what I did…………..

INGREDIENTS

Makes for 2 persons

2 1/2 cups – grated lauki/ bottle gourd

1 cup – milk

3/4 cup – sugar ( increase or decrease quantity as per taste)

2 1/2 tbsp – ghee/ clarified butter

1 tbsp – rose water

1 tsp – sultanas or raisins

1 tsp – magaz / melon seeds (optional)

METHOD

Peel, wash and wipe the bottle gourd. Grate it and keep aside.

In a pan heat the milk and as it comes to boil, add the grated bottle gourd. Lower the heat and cook the till bottle gourd is tender, not over cooked. Add the rose water, ghee and sugar.

Cook on high, continuously stirring, till moisture dry up and ghee leaves the sides of the pan.

Mix in the melon seeds and raisins.

Serve hot or cold, as per choice.

Sonal this is for you ❤

Happy cooking !! 🙂

Cheers !! 😀

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