Calabash - Bottle Gourd (Lauki) Halwa

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle gourd  1 medium sized 
  
• 6 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar or as needed
• 1 tea spoons cardamom powdered
• 2 tea spoons almonds thinly sliced
• 2 tea spoons cashew nuts thinly sliced
• 1 tea spoon charoli (Chiraunji)
•  1 tea spoon muskmelon seeds
• 3-4 threads of saffron (kesar)
• 1 pinch of edible green color (if desired)

Time Required : 30 minutes
Serving :4 Persons.
Method :

• Take bottle gourd, wash, peel and grate it.
• Take grated bottle gourd, milk and cardamom powder in the pan and bring it to boil. Once started boiling, put the gas on sim flame. 
• Stir continuously for 20 minutes.
• Add sugar, green color and let sugar dissolve completely. Keep stirring.
• Add almonds, cashew nuts, charoli, muskmelon seeds, saffron threads and keep on sim for 5 minutes.
• Halwa is ready to serve.
• You can either serve it hot or it can be served as chilled too, as per personal choice.

Health Benefits :

Bottle gourd which is low in calories and fats and rich in essential minerals, iron, proteins, high in fiber is having the health benefits as preventing fatigue and excessive loss of thirst, preventing constipation and dehydration relaxing, curing jaundice.

Bonus tip : If you want some variation in taste, you can add 1 tea spoon of ghee in it. For softer halwa, over cooked calabash.

Fuel saving tip - If you put a lid on pan, it will take lesser gas to cook. But don't forget to stirring.