Lauki ki barfi is a unique delight from the bottle gourd; it is a vegetable used in desserts and is little known. This traditional mithai is a hot favourite in many Indian families, especially during festivals, and is a healthy rendition of the conventional barfis. Lauki, also known as bottle gourd, is grated and cooked into milk, sugar, and ghee, transforming the vegetable into delicious melt-in-the-mouth mithai. The grated lauki is saut ed with ghee, which makes it soft and releases the moist content. After adding the milk to the mixture, simmer until it thickens. Later, sugar is added and continued to be cooked until it is at the fudge-like stage. Cardamom and saffron can be added to these barfis and made according to taste. Finally, the sweet mixture is poured into a greased tray or dish to set until it becomes firm. The lauki ki barfi is then cut into square or diamond pieces and garnished with chopped nuts like cashews, almonds, or pistachios, adding a delightful crunch and richness. The recipe of lauki ki barfi makes a delicious dessert. Bottle gourd has a pretty neutral flavour that blends almost easily with other ingredients, providing a perfect balance of taste and nutrition. It's an excellent option for healthier alternatives to traditionally sugary sweets because bottled gourds are rich in fibre and water.

• 800 gms lauki
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 1/2 cup milk
• 150 gms khoya
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp green cardamom seeds powder
• 1/4 cup cashew nuts
• 1 tsp rose water
• 1/4 cup almonds

• Let's begin the recipe of lauki ki barfi.
• Peel a fresh, firm lauki and grate it very fine. Bottle gourd tends to release a lot of water, so it is necessary to grate it loosely so that the right texture appears in the barfi.
• Once you have grated your lauki, set it aside.
• Heat two tablespoons of ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Ghee forms an essential ingredient of Indian sweets due to the strong flavour imparted and the release of the natural aromatic flavours of the sweets.
• Add the grated lauki to the pan and stir occasionally for around 5 minutes. Cook the lauki until it is softened, losing all the raw taste.
• Add 2 1/2 cups of milk to lauki and mix well. Let it boil gently.
• Keep stirring regularly until the milk reduces by half. This takes about 15-20 min.
• Add khoya to the pan with the lauki-milk mixture. This khoya will melt into the mixture and thicken it more, thus lending creaminess to the barfi.
• Finally, add ¾ cup sugar to the pan. Mix everything well to ensure that the sugar dissolves completely. This helps not only sweeten the barfi but also to keep everything attached to it as it cooks down.
• Cook for another 10-15 minutes; keep stirring so it does not burn. When the mixture is thick and is pulling away from the sides of the pan, the barfi is ready.
• Add ¼ Tsp of ground green cardamom powder for flavour. Mix in the cardamom powder, stirring well.
• To give your barfi an elevated feel, you can add ¼ cup of chopped cashew nuts to the mixture. Cashews contribute a crunchy texture and nutty flavour that contrasts nicely against the smoothness of the barfi.
• Once the mixture has a fudgy consistency, turn off the heat and add one Tsp of rose water. Rose water gives this confection its subtle floral fragrance, which combines so well with the richness of the sweet.
• Once that's mixed in, the mixture must be placed in a greased tray or flat surface to set. Level it out with a spatula and let it cool for 30 minutes. When still warm, top it gently with ¼ cup sliced almonds on that excellent crunch as well as in aesthetics.
• Cut into small squares or diamonds after lauki ki barfi has cooled completely.
• Enjoy this delicious recipe of lauki ki barfi!