Lauki Ka Halwa | Bottle Gourd Halwa

Lauki Ka 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.

Lauki ka halwa can also be made without condensed milk. You can replace condensed milk with khoya. Health conscious people can also replace sugar with jaggery to make lauki halwa with jaggery.

You can also try other simple Indian sweet dish like:

• Pumpkin halwa | Kaddu ka halwa
• Coconut burfi
• Shahi tukda
• Vermicelli kheer
• Beetroot halwa

Ingredients used to cook homemade Indian sweet dish with bottle gourd:

• Bottle gourd: Use fresh firm bottle gourd in this simple Indian sweet recipe.
• Milk: I have used milk and condensed milk in this Indian halwa recipe.
• Dry fruits: Dry fruits like cashewnuts and almonds are used in this recipe. Raisins, walnuts, and pistachios can also be added.
• Sugar: I have added organic sugar in this recipe. You can try adding brown sugar or jaggery too.
• Ghee: Ghee or clarified butter is added in this halwa recipe.
• Cardamom powder: Little amount of cardamom powder is added to add flavour in this recipe.

How to prepare bottle gourd halwa?

1. Chop almonds and cashewnuts and microwave or boil it in 1/2 cup water for 2 minutes. Keep them aside.
2. Wash, peel and grate the bottle gourd by discarding the husk and seeds.
3. Heat a kadai or saucepan and add ghee.
4. When ghee gets heated, add grated bottle gourd, and stir fry for 10 minutes.
5. Add milk and let it simmer for 20 minutes on low flame.
6. Keep stirring in between to ensure that bottle gourd does not stick to the bottom of the kadai.
7. Add condensed milk, stir, and let it simmer. Keep stirring in between.
8. Add the microwaved dry fruits. Do not add water if which remains after microwaving dry fruits.
9. After 15-20 minutes, you will notice that the milk would have reduced to 1/4.
10. At this stage stir continuously till lauki starts separating from the edges of the kadai.
11. Add the sugar and keep stirring continuously.
12. Add a pinch of salt and stir till the lauki halwa thickens and ghee being released from the sides.
13. Garnish with finely chopped almonds, cashewnuts and pistachios and few strands of kesar/saffron.

Also try other bottle gourd recipes like:

• Bottle gourd kheer / lauki kheer
• Lauki thepla
• Bottle gourd stir fry

Notes to keep in mind while making lauki ka halwa:

• 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.

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5 from 2 votes

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.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 People

By: Raksha Kamat

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.

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Note: The post was originally published on 05th Dec 2015 and is re-published.