Grated bottle gourd slow-cooked in milk with sugar, cardamom and ghee into a soft, pale green dessert — the understated Gujarati sweet that showcases gourd's natural sweetness.
Ingredients
500g dudhi (bottle gourd / lauki) — peeled and grated
500ml full-fat milk
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp cashews — fried in 1 tsp ghee
2 tbsp raisins
Method
Peel and grate the bottle gourd on the coarse side. Squeeze out some excess water.
Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy pan. Add the grated bottle gourd.
Cook on medium for 5 to 6 minutes until the moisture evaporates and the gourd looks slightly translucent.
Add full-fat milk. Stir. Cook on medium, stirring every 5 minutes, for 20 to 25 minutes until the milk is almost completely absorbed and the halwa is thick.
Add sugar. Stir vigorously — the sugar releases some moisture initially then the halwa thickens again. Cook 5 more minutes.
Add remaining ghee and cardamom powder. Stir.
Garnish with fried cashews and raisins. Serve warm.