BRULEED LAUKI/BOTTLE GOURD HALWA

Cooking can be great fun when we get to enhance our knowledge. Last few weeks thats what I did, I experimented with a lot of ingredients and cusines. I even recreated a few famous dishes from all around the world.Surprisingly the experiments were no failure :) and I had loads of fun creating all those new dishes. The dish I am about to share today is part of my experiment series :). The main ingredient of this dish is Lauki/Bottle Gourd. The bottle gourd has various name calabash or opo squash or long melon or dudhi but its commonly known as Lauki in Hindi and Bottle Gourd in English. Have read about the healthy benefits of Bottle Gourd in a few sites so I have summarized them and decided to share it with all. HEALTH BENEFITS : --> Bottle Gourd has attracted a lot of attention due to its importance in treatment of Blood Pressure and Heart disease. --> Bottle gourd is very valuable in treating urinary disorders. --> This vegetable is very good for balancing liver function. It is often recommended by ayurvedic physicians when the liver is inflamed. --> Ayurveda suggests Bottle gourd juice once daily in the early morning for treating Graying Hair. --> Mixture of bottle gourd juice a sesame oil acts as an effective medicine for insomnia. --> The bitter variety is prescribed as a cardiac tonic, as an antidote to poisoning and for alleviating bronchitis, cough, asthma affections. --> The dietary fiber present in the bottle gourd makes it a very useful vegetable in preventing digestive disorders such as constipation, flatulence, and piles. --> Bottle gourd juice is also considered to be beneficial in insanity, epilepsy, and other nervous diseases. I heard about this dish from a friend, he said that in his family this dish is a must have for Diwali. Although he promised me in the year 2010 that he would treat me, that didnt happen till now :P . Finally I decided to give it a try on my own. Unaware of the ingredients and procedure, I googled it, but somehow I didnt enjoy the recipes so I created a version inspired by my Mom. And then I took a step further by topping it with caramel. Let me not bore you with long talks and share with you my version of Bruleed Lauki Halwa....hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

FOR LAUKI HALWA
Lauki/Bottle Gourd	1 soft, large sized
Ghee	2 tablespoons
Milk	3 cups
Condensed Milk	1/2 cup
Cardamom powder	1/2 teaspoon
Sugar	5-6 tablespoon

FOR TOPPING
Sugar	3 tablespoon
Water	2-3 teaspoon

     LAUKI/BOTTLE GOURD HALWA :-

1. Peel and grate the bottle gourd finely. 
2. Par-boil the bottle gourd and then spread it over paper so the water is slightly soaked.
3. Heat ghee in a kadhai, add the soften lauki and fry till its cooked properly. It took me 20 min to reach the proper stage.
4. Mix-condensed milk with milk and pour over the cooked lauki.
5. When the milk is 75% reduced add the cardamom powder and mix well.
6. Finally add sugar and mix it with the halwa. Keep on stirring and cook the halwa for some more time.
7. Pour the halwa in a serving bowl and let it cool down slightly.

    SWEET TOPPING :-

1. Combine four parts granulated white sugar with one part water in a sturdy, thick-bottomed cooking pot.
2. Turn the stovetop to medium-high and stir the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar begins to dissolve.
3. Bring the sugar and water to a boil and stop stirring the mixture.
4. Reduce heat to medium.Boil for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Distribute the amber color throughout the mixture by gently lifting up the handle of the pot and swirling the mixture.
6. Wait till the mixture until it reaches a uniform rich, brown color.
7. Pour the caramelized sugar over the cooled halwa and let the dish cool down completely.

Enjoy the dish when its cold, cracking the caramelized topping and combining with the halwa it turns out to be great .