Light on the stomach and big on flavours, this gluten-free lauki ki kheer is perfect for the festive celebrations.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
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What is Lauki?
Lauki or doodhi are the Hindi terms for bottle gourd. Bottle gourd is a thick, fleshy vegetable vine that grows in tropical countries like India. It is like a squash, easy to digest, cook, and full of water content. A sign of a healthy, young gourd is pale green, smooth skin that is quite firm and blemish-free.
Bottle Gourd is commonly used in Indian Cuisine to make various dishes such as kofta curry, sabji, snacks, sweets, and kheer. Lauki Ki Kheer is one of those Indian dessert recipes you should bookmark for the festive occasions.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bottle Gourd: A sign of a healthy, young gourd is pale green, smooth skin that is quite firm and blemish-free. You need freshly grated bottle gourd (lauki) without skin and white pulp/seeds.
- Milk: Use only full-fat or full-cream milk to make kheer.
- Sugar: You can replace white sugar with jaggery powder or brown sugar
- Saffron (kesar), Green Cardamom, Ghee for the aroma, taste, and beautiful color.
My Tried and True Tips
- Use full cream milk to make any type of Indian kheer.
- Avoid using corn starch or a thickening agent to get a creamy consistency of the kheer. Instead, allow the milk to simmer over low heat until it reduces to almost half the original amount.
- Keep stirring the milk while simmering at regular intervals for two reasons, to avoid burning the milk and to collect the layer of cream and add it back to the milk. This way, you will surely get a luscious and creamy kheer.
- Make sure while frying the grated bottle gourd that it becomes completely dry and almost cooked.
- Always add sugar towards the end. Once you add the sugar, the milk stops thickening.
Serving Suggestion
You can serve lauki kheer warm or chilled. Many people eat lauki ki kheer during Navratri or Janmashtmi fasting.
You can store lauki ki kheer in the refrigerator for a week. Always store it in an airtight container. Milk has a short shelf life, hence, do not leave the kheer at room temperature for more than 1 – 2 hours, especially in hot climatic conditions.
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Lauki Ki Kheer Recipe
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup grated bottle gourd (lauki)
- 1 litre full-fat milk
- ½ Cup granulated white sugar or to taste
- 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- ¼ teaspoon saffron (kesar)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Ingredients for garnishing
- 1 tablespoon sliced pistachio
Instructions
- Peel to remove the outer skin of the bottle gourd. Discard the white pulp and the seeds. Grate the firm green part.
- Transfer grated bottle gourd to a muslin cloth. Squeeze tightly to remove all the water from the grated bottle gourd. Set it aside.
- Next heat ghee in a frying pan. Add the grated bottle gourd and fry over low heat for 5 – 10 minutes. Keep stirring to fry evenly. This step ensures to remove all the water from the grated bottle gourd. Turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom saucepan heat milk. Add the cardamom powder and stir to combine. Let the milk come to a boil once and then reduce the heat to low.
- Allow the milk to simmer over low heat till it reduces to half the original amount.
- Add the grated lauki and cook till the milk thickens. Keep stirring continuously. The kheer will become thick and creamy.
- Add sugar, saffron, and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish with sliced pistachio before serving.
- Serve Lauki Ki Kheer chilled or warm.
Recipe Notes:
- Use full cream milk
- Avoid using corn starch or thickening agent to get the thick consistency of the kheer. Instead, allow the milk to simmer over low heat until it reduces to almost half of the original amount.
- Keep stirring the milk while simmering at regular intervals for two reasons, one to avoid burning of the milk, and second to collect the layer of cream and add it back to the milk.
- Make sure while frying the grated bottle gourd that it becomes completely dry.
- Always add sugar towards the end. Once you add the sugar the milk stops thickening.
Maithili says
I like this recipe for fasting. Very easy.
Hina Gujral says
Yes, it is very tasty and easy to make for fasting.
Shruthi says
Hey, I tried this today and turned out just fantastic! Thank you 🙂
Hina Gujral says
thank you for such lovely feedback.