The very mention of bottle gourd (lauki) often makes people grimace—especially children—but it can be used for more than just savory vegetable dishes. You can also make a delicious *halwa* (sweet pudding) from bottle gourd; it is so incredibly tasty that one serving simply won’t be enough!

If you haven’t tried bottle gourd *halwa* yet, you definitely should. Let’s look at the recipe for making it.

Bottle Gourd (Lauki) Halwa Recipe

Total time: 30 mins
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Course: Desserts
Calories:
Servings: 2
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients for Bottle Gourd Halwa:
Bottle gourd (lauki) – 1 kg
Milk – 2 to 3 cups
Khoya (milk solids/mawa) – 1 cup
Sugar – 1 cup
Pure ghee – 3 to 4 tablespoons
Dry fruits – Cashews, almonds, pistachios, and raisins
Green cardamom powder – ½ teaspoon

Method for making Bottle Gourd Halwa:
First, wash the bottle gourd thoroughly, peel it, and grate it using a grater.

While grating, remove the seeds. Once grated, gently squeeze the bottle gourd to remove excess water.

Heat one tablespoon of ghee in a pan, add the grated bottle gourd, and sauté over medium heat for 3–4 minutes. Then, add the full-cream milk and mix well.

Continue cooking over medium heat until the milk has completely evaporated and the bottle gourd has softened thoroughly.

Once the milk has dried up, add the sugar and the grated *khoya*, and stir continuously until everything is well combined.

Next, add the remaining pure ghee and cardamom powder, and sauté well until the ghee begins to separate from the sides of the pan.

Finally, add the chopped dry fruits and mix everything thoroughly. The bottle gourd (lauki) halwa is ready.

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