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. Lauki 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. It is easy to make, full of flavors, gluten-free, and purely vegetarian.
Ingredients Required
You need only 6 ingredients to make a delicious kheer with bottle gourd. 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 & 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. I like mine chilled. Once the kheer is ready, let it cool down at room temperature. You can serve lauki ki kheer warm as well. I like it chilled. Keep it in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 hours if you want to serve it chilled. Many people eat lauki ki kheer during Navratri or Janmashtmi fasting.
Storage Suggestion
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.
Watch Lauki Kheer Video
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