Dudhi/Doodhi/Lauki/Ghiya is a green vegetable with very high water content. It is most often used in making Indian curries and can be added to Dudhi Khichdi as well. As it is a fairly mild-tasting vegetable, it is also popularly used in making halwa. Halwa is an Indian sweet made usually using milk products. This Dudhi halwa is made with mawa or khoya. We usually use homemade mawa for our recipes. For me, it’s always been a close call between Dudhi Halwa and Carrot/Gajar ka Halwa. We also love Beetroot Kalakand – paneer based sweet made with beetroot.
Why use the Instant Pot
Using the Instant Pot to make Dudhi Halwa helps to speed up the cooking process of the dudhi. Check out our other Instant Pot Desserts Recipes Eggless Mango Coconut Cheesecake Eggless Mandazi (East-African Doughnuts) 1 minute Sheer Khurma Doodh Poha Kheer Kheer
How to grate dudhi
My tip to get the GREENEST dudhi halwa is to simply scrape off the top layer of the dudhi using a knife. If you use a peeler to peel the skin, you will end up going too deep and losing all of the beautiful green colour. See our video for directions.
Ingredients:
Dudhi – also known as lauki or Ghiya in Hindi. Bottle gourd in English and easily available in any Indian grocery or supermarkets. Mawa – aka khoya and easily made at home (link above) or can be found in any South Asian groceries in chilled or freezer aisle Milk – use whole milk or full-fat milk Sugar – regular granulated sugar Ghee – we love to use homemade desi ghee in our Indian sweets and desserts but you can use shopbought too. Cardamom Powder – imparts great and delicate flavours to the dish and aid in digestion the food. Slivered Nuts – lends richness and texture to the dish. Dried rose petals – just for decorating purpose – optional
Vegan Dudhi Halwa
You can definitely make vegan lauki halwa. Add coconut oil or vegan butter and use almond milk instead of dairy milk. To thicken the halwa, you can use ground almond or cashew nuts. How to make the Best Dudhi Halwa in Instant Pot Peel and Grate Dudhi (pic 1 to 3) COOK Press SAUTE mode, add ghee (pic 1) Add grated dudhi and saute for 2 -3 minutes (pic 2) Now add very little water (pic 3) Add milk and sugar, mix and close the pot with the lid. Select HIGH PRESSURE AND COOK FOR 2 MINUTES (pic 4) THICKEN THE HALWA Once all the pressure releases it naturally, remove the lid (pic 1) Press SAUTE and add khoya/mawa and mix well everything. (pic 2) Keep stirring all the time (pic 3) Getting thicker, CANCEL saute mode (pic 4) Add cardamom powder (pic 5) Garnish it with slivered nuts (pic 6)
For Indian Pressure cooker:
Dudhi halwa can be made in an Indian pressure cooker. Make sure you use a big cooker.
- Grate dudhi, heat oil in a pressure cooker.
- Add grated dudhi and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add little water and cook a further few minutes.
- Now add sugar and milk, close the lid and cook till 3-4 whistles.
- Let it cool naturally.
- Remove the lid, add mawa or khoya and cook further, keep stirring the halwa until it gets thicker.
- Add cardamom powder and nuts. For more delicious Indian sweet ideas, try our 19 Best Barfi Peda Recipes Other Mithai Recipes Barfi Besan Ladoo Peanut katli Best Sooji Gujiya Kala Jamun
