LAUKI HALWA / DOODHI HALWA / GHIYA HALWA

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time : 20 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

500 gms bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki/ghiya)
2 cups milk or 1 cup mava (khoya)
1/2 cup sugar or as per taste
2-3 tbsp ghee
cashewnuts (kaju)/almonds as per taste
1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
2-3 drops green color or 2 tsp brahmi badam syrup (optional)

Method:

1. Peel,wash and grate bottle gourd.
2. Heat ghee in a pan, add the bottle gourd and saute on medium flame for 2 minutes.
3. Add the hot milk and keep stirring till it reduces and become thick or add mava and stir till lauki and mava blends completely.
4. Add the sugar, mix well and cook ,till the water released by sugar evaporates.
5. Add cashews/almonds and cardamom powder and mix well.
6. When the halwa is cooked and becomes thick, add green color or brahmi syrup and mix well.
7. Serve hot.

Note:

1. If you are using mava instead of milk then cook bottle gourd in ghee till it becomes tender.
2. If using brahmi badam syrup instead of color then take care while adding sugar as some sugar is present in syrup also.