LAUKI KA HALWA

Grating Bottle Gourd

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. 

You will need 2 cups tightly packed grated lauki.

Making Lauki Halwa

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.

Add the grated lauki. On a low to medium-low flame begin to saute the lauki. Stir often when sauteing lauki. `Saute lauki till the moisture dries. Then add whole milk and mix very well.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.