Recipe of Bottle Gourd(Calabash) Halwa (Pudding): Healthy and Tasty Pudding

 Lauki(Bottle Gourd) Pudding to Improve your Health

                                                    

Gourd pudding is very beneficial for our health.  It is not known how long people have been using it in their homes and for these people eat it, whether it is cold or hot, because it fulfills many things in our body. Children also consume it with a lot of heart. Most People make it on occasion or at festivals. 

 

Gourd Halwa contains many good components which are responsible for our overall health. Sometimes doctors advise patients to eat it because it contains many vitamins and minerals which are responsible for our body's strong immune system.

These things required in making Gourd Pudding

Lauki(Calabash)

Lauki or as it is called Doodhi/ Ghiya/bottle gourd. It is a summer vegetable that is high in water content. The gourd pudding made by it is very tasty which is made in almost every household on festivals.  But before making it, it is necessary to find out that is gourd is not bitter  If bitter, another gourd should be taken.

Milk and Khoya

If you are getting khoya while making gourd pudding, you will put it but if you do not have khoya then you can put milk on it. If you have both the things, then you can mix both the things in it so that the taste of the gourd pudding is enriched.

Cardamom Powder 

I  like to include flavored cardamom powder in my desserts and so this is my favorite ingredient to include in my halwa dishes.

If you do not have cardamom powder, you can crush cardamom seeds and mix them in gourd pudding.

Dry Fruits

In a Homemade gourd pudding you have free to add your choice of dry fruits like almonds, pistachios, and cashews, also you can add raisins, walnuts, etc. Pouring these things makes the pudding very tasty.

Other Ingredients

Apart from these, we will need ghee, rose water, and sugar. Rosewater adds a nice flavor and makes the halwa aromatic. You can substitute regular sugar with brown sugar, sugarcane sugar, or even jaggery. Always use good quality ghee for the best taste.

How to make gourd pudding?

Before making pudding, we must have some things by which we can make our Pudding tasty.

           Ingredients                                                                   Quantity 

• Bottle Gourd or Lauki ( peeled and grated)                 2 cups
• Ghee                                                                         3-5 tablespoons
• Mawa ( optional)                                                          ½ cup
• Sugar                                                                          2 cups
• Cardamom powder                                                          ½ teaspoon
• Warm milk                                                                  2 tablespoon
• Almonds and Pistachios (chopped lengthwise)          A handful

Instructions

Follow these steps to make gourd pudding.

• Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker.  Add grated gourd and Mawa and fry on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.
• Once done, add sugar, cardamom powder, 2 tablespoons hot milk, 2 tablespoons hot water.       Mix it well.
• Close the pressure cooker with its lid.
• Cook pressure on Medium flame for 2 whistles.
• Allow the steam to drain and open the lid carefully.
• Now cook this mixture for another 5-8 minutes on low heat till all the water content evaporates.
• Garnish with almonds and pistachios.

Which gourd is right for pudding?

At the time of making gourd pudding, we have to be very careful about the way gourd should be, because nowadays gourd comes in many ways in our market, but out of which gourd pudding should be made which is for our body  Be very beneficial. Choosing the right gourd makes our Pudding good and tasty.

• The purchased Gourd should have smooth skin and should be light green.  It should be free from any cuts, blemishes, or spots.
• It should be firm, and vegetable meat should not be soft when pressed.
• Try to source organic liqueur as it will be free of chemicals and pesticides.
• Buy organic sugar as it will be processed using natural ingredients.

Health Benefits of Gourd 

• Bottle gourd is one of the lowest-calorie vegetables - carrying just 14 calories per 100 grams.  It is one of the vegetables recommended by dietitians in the weight control program.
• Fresh gourds contain small amounts of folate, about small / 100g (provide just 1.5% of the RDA).  Folate helps reduce the incidence of neural tube defects in newborns when taken by presumptive mothers during the early months of pregnancy.
• Fresh calabash gourd is a minor source of vitamin C (100 grams of raw fruit provides 10 mg or about 17% RDA).  Vitamin C is one of the powerful natural antioxidants that help to destroy harmful free radicals.
• Calabash facilitates easy digestion and movement of food through the bowel until it is excreted from the body.  Thus, it helps in relieving indigestion and constipation problems.
• In addition, the vegetable is also a minor source of minerals such as thiamine, niacin (vitamin B-3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), and calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, manganese.  , And magnesium.
• Its soft leaves and tenders are also edible;  The bottle carries a higher concentration of vitamins and minerals than the gourd fruit.

Nutrition Information

                 (Per 100 Grams)

           Type                         Value 

• Calories                     317 kCal
• Carbohydrates             40.9 grams
• Protein                           4 grams
• Fat                              14.9 gms
• Cholesterol              1.2 mg
• Protein                          4 grams
• Sodium                      14.7 milligram
• Dietary fibre              15 grams

Conclusion

As we all know today, new types of diseases are occurring in our society.  We have to prepare ourselves to fight with it.  If we make our food very good, then it gives such strength in our body that we become capable of fighting many diseases. As people say in the proverb, good food is the hallmark of a healthy body.