Lauki Ka Halwa {Bottle Gourd Pudding}

Has it ever happened to you, when you tasted something extraordinary just once and you can still recollect its aroma, taste and every little nuance that made it special in the first place? There are some foods that linger in your memory for a long time, almost forever. I still remember the first time I tasted lauki halwa. It was on a dinner date with my hubby, just a few weeks into our marriage. We didn’t know what to expect when we ordered the desserts à la carte after a sumptuous buffet. Luckily, I’ve never had to hide my love for food around my hubby, even in those early days!

We got an Indian dessert platter and there was this bright green, absolutely delicious halwa. (Indian halwa is a stove-top pudding made by slowly cooking and reducing grains, flour, vegetables or even fruit in ghee and/or milk and sweetener.) I knew it was a vegetable halwa of some sort, like mom’s special beetroot halwa or carrot halwa. But I just couldn’t figure out what this one was. Only thing I knew, it was good and very much so. Absolutely worth every rich, silky mouthful!

After polishing off the whole thing, we inquired with the server who told us it was churakkai halwa. Churakkai, lauki or doodhi as it is known in various Indian languages is the humble bottle gourd or calabash. With a smooth green outer skin and greenish white flesh, this gourd has a mild, slightly sweet taste and is quite nutritious as well. I use it mostly in dal curries, boiling cubes of calabash and adding to a spiced lentil curry. But the halwa of that day was somehow forgotten, locked away in the recesses of my memory.

When I laid eyes on some fresh bottle gourds at the local Indian store, it suddenly came back to me and I simply had to make some halwa. Like immediately. Couldn’t wait any longer.

This one is a simple recipe, much like this pumpkin halwa which I’ve posted earlier. The star is the vegetable of course, but one must add a bit of ghee, whole fat milk and sugar as well. No halwa was ever made without them. And don’t forget to top each serving with a generous helping of cashews and golden raisins sauteed and plumped up in some more ghee.

Once you grate, sautee and cook the lauki in milk, it is time to roll up your sleeves and get ready for the finishing stretch. You need to reduce the milk, add sugar and keep stirring till you feel you can stir no more. When your upper arms feel like you are warming up for a rowing competition, then the halwa magically comes together before your eyes, turning glossy and amalgamating as one silky smooth mass. No halwa was ever made without some arm exercise. You never leave a halwa on the stove alone to its own devices (and to its ultimate burnt death). Stir it well and it will reward you in return.

Like this.

LAUKI/DOODHI/CHURAKKAI HALWA {BOTTLE GOURD PUDDING}

You will need:

• Lauki/bottle gourd – 2 medium-sized (3 – 3.5 cups when grated)
• Ghee – 4 tbsp
• Milk – 1 cup
• Sugar – 7-8 tbsp
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – a pinch
• Golden raisins – a small handful
• Cashew nuts and almonds – a handful each

How to:

• Peel, cut and remove the seeds from the gourd. Grate or process in a food processor. You should have 3 – 3.5 cups of grated vegetable.
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a large, thick-bottomed pan. Add the cashews and raisins and fry till raisins are plump and cashews are golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the rest of the ghee. When it is sufficiently hot, add the grated lauki and sautee on medium heat for 7-8 minutes.
• Now add the milk and cook the lauki on low heat till done, but not entirely mushy. This should take another 10 minutes or so. Once cooked, the lauki should have absorbed most of the milk.
• Increase the heat to medium and add sugar, cardamom powder and salt. The sugar will introduce some liquid. Keep stirring continuously to dry it out.
• After a few more minutes, you will see that the halwa starts to thicken and turn glossy. The halwa will also start to come away from the sides of the pan and begin to chase the spoon when stirred. Increase the heat and fry the halwa for just a couple of minutes more and remove from the heat.
• Garnish with the nuts and raisins and serve. Halwa can be served hot, warm or even cold as per your preference.

Notes:

• Lauki halwa served in restaurants will be a bright green color. This is achieved by adding green food color along with the sugar while cooking the halwa. I have not used any food color and actually like this pastel green halwa better. The lauki will be very pale after cooking in milk. But once you add sugar and begin to reduce and thicken the halwa, it will turn a shade or two darker. But if you still need the bright green color, feel free to add a couple of drops of food color and stir well.

This is a great evening snack after a very tiring day, quick dessert or even a special-occasion sweet dish.

So tell me, do you have fond memories of any special dish which you enjoyed a long time back? Have you tried recreating it? Do you like halwa and what is your favorite kind? Do share.

And please do try this lauki halwa if you can get your hands on fresh bottle gourds. It’s absolutely delightful!!

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I am sharing this over at Angie’s amazing blog link party at The Novice Gardener and Saucy Saturdays.