Lauki Halwa (Indian Bottle Gourd Milk Pudding)

Quick answer

Total time: 45 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Lauki halwa cooks grated bottle gourd in ghee to remove moisture, simmers it in milk, reduces it with sugar and cardamom to a jam-like consistency, and tops it with fried cashews and raisins.

Ingredients (2 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
bottle gourd	300	g
whole milk	400	ml
ghee	30	g
sugar	60	g
cardamom powder	2	g
cashew nuts	15	g
raisins	15	g

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

5 steps

1

Step

Peel the bottle gourd, remove the soft seedy center, and finely grate the firm white flesh.
2

Control

Heat 20g of ghee in a pan, add the grated gourd, and sauté on medium heat for 7-8 minutes until moisture reduces.
3

Control

Pour 400ml milk into the pan.

Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring until the milk thickens.
4

Season

Add sugar and cardamom powder when the milk has mostly evaporated, and cook for another 5 minutes until it reaches a paste consistency.
5

Finish

In a separate pan, fry cashews and raisins in the remaining 10g ghee, then garnish the halwa and serve warm.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Sweet transformation of gourd sautéed in ghee
Finish cue: Peel the bottle gourd, remove the soft seedy center, and finely grate the firm white flesh.