Lauki Halwa / Bottle gourd fudge

Halwa is a famous Indian delicacy.  It looks royal and making it is so easy.  No fuss yet mind blowing dessert to end a nice meal.  There is a endless list of halwas in Indian menu.  You can make it with almost anything be it pulses, fruits or even vegetables.  
I love to try making different kind of halwas.  In this list, my latest addition is Lauki Halwa.  It sounds a bit not-so-interesting but trust me it tastes divine. I had heard about this halwa a lot of time but never thought to try. Last week I found one big lauki lying in my fridge. I didn’t want to make any curry, kofta or dal with it so decided to make lauki halwa. 
Instead of making it all with milk I used condensed milk. Addition of condensed milk gave it a rich texture without adding Mawa/Khoya and at the same time made it a quick cooking dessert. Although I added milk too but only 2 tbsp just to cook the lauki.  In case you don’t want to use condensed milk, you can make it with milk too. I have given the procedure in the notes at the end. Do check.  Hey, did I mention that I used only 1.5 tbsp ghee in it unlike other halwas and you wont find it any less tasty from those ghee loaded halwas :D

This halwa came out so well that I am gonna make it more often :) Its a good option for parties too. Clever idea to add veggies in kids meal.  They would love it surely. So try it and you will be glad that you did. Happy Cooking :)

Serves – 2

Ingredients:

Lauki /  Bottle gourd (finely grated)	1 cup
Ghee	1 ½ tbsp
Condensed milk	¼ cup
Milk	2 tbsp
Cardamom (crushed)	2
Raisins	15
Green food color (optional)	2-3 drops

Method:

• In a non stick pan, heat ghee. Add raisins and fry for few seconds. Remove and set aside.
• In the remaining ghee, add grated lauki and fry for 8-10 minutes or till water evaporates and raw smell goes. 
• Add condensed milk and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes. Add milk and mix again. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add crushed cardamom, food color and fried raisins. Mix again and cook till the halwa gets thick.
• Serve warm or cold.

                                              

 Notes:

1. Grate the bottle gourd very finely.
2. I recommend to use a non stick pan for making this halwa to avoid sticking while frying the bottle gourd/lauki.
3. You can add any dried fruit of your choice.
4. In place of cardamom you can use saffron.
5. If you do not want to use condensed milk then boil 1 cup of milk till a bit thick.  Fry lauki as given in the recipe.  Add the fried lauki to the thick milk and mix well.  Add 6 tbsp sugar (or adjust to taste) mix again.  Add crushed cardamom and dried fruits and cook till thick.