laucki kheer

Ingredients

• 1 medium size bottle gourd (loki, doodhi, ghyia)
• 1 tablespoon butter or ghee
• 5 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground cardamom powder

Method

1. Lightly peel the bottle gourd leaving shades of light green.
2. Cut it half length wise and take out the seeds from center of the bottle gourd.
3. Shred the bottle gourd and squeeze-out the water. After squeezing the water, shredded bottle gourd should be about 3 cups.
4. Heat butter in frying pan on medium high heat as it melts add the shredded bottle gourd and stir-fry for about 4 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and transfer the stir-fry bottle gourd in to the bowl.
6. Boil the milk in wide frying pan on medium high heat. Cook until the milk is reduced to about four cups. Stir often to ensure the milk does not burn in the bottom of the pan.
7. Add the stir-fry bottle gourd to the milk and cook for another 10 minutes until the milk is creamy again make sure you stir the kheer often to ensure the milk does not burn in the bottom of the pan.
8. Next reduce the heat to medium and add the sugar and cardamom powder. Cook for another about 2 minutes and turn off the heat.
9. kheer is ready this can be served warm, at room temperature or cold.

Serving Suggestion
Lauki Kheer tastes the best when it is served very chilled just when it start forming ice crystal.