Lauki Ka Halwa

My mother fasted every monday. She would eat once a day and the meal was marked by many restrictions - no salt, no grains, no onions, no garlic, no vegetable that grew under the soil like carrots and radishes. She would make all sorts of puddings on monday - since rice pudding was taboo the most popular pudding would be the sago kheer. A number of vegetables make good kheers well suited for a vrata- sweet potatoes, carrots, water chestnuts,and bottle gourd. A vegetable which is slightly sweet can be grated cooked in milk and then spiced with cardomom, raisins and nuts. This recipe is actually more successful as a kheer. These are excellent substitutes for rice pudding during a vrata, or festivals.

1/2 lauki grated
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
5 pods cardomom
2 tbspn ghee
pistachios to garnish

1. Heat the ghee and add the grated lauki. Cook till tender and translucent.
2. Add the milk. Cook till milk reduces and the halwa looks like a homogenous mass.
3. Add cardomom and garnish with pistachios.