Sweets for the sweet

I wanted to make a nice sweet for my husband that was also somewhat simple to prepare, so I decided on lauki(bottle gourd) halwa. The first time I made this, my husband had never heard of using bottle gourd for halwa and thought it is my invention. Nope, unfortunately it isnt.... but it is very yummy and we prefer it to the ubiquitous gajar halwa.

Im not very good at writing out recipes, since im a "little of this, little of that" kind of cook... but I did manage to take a picture!

Lauki halwa

1 bottle gourd- peeled and grated
some sugar or jaggery(i used white sugar)- maybe half cup?
ricotta cheese
cardamom-powdered
pistacios and almonds chopped
ghee

Heat ghee slightly in a large pan and add the bottle gourd. Stir frequently and dont allow it to brown. Once it is softened and almost cooked add the ricotta cheese. keep stirring and stirring this until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and starts to become dry. once that happens add the sugar. it will become more wet again, and once it starts to turn light brown, it is done. add the cardamom powder.
Top with pistas and badam. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

This is my contribution to Meena's From My Rasoi

:)