Lifestyle Desk: If children and adults in your household make faces at the mere mention of bottle gourd, then this time, make them a gourd sweet that they’ll beg for again and again. Bottle gourd rabdi is creamy, thick, and delicious. The gourd flavor is subtle, while the aroma of cardamom, saffron, and nuts gives it the taste of a royal sweet. So, let’s learn how to make it easily.
Material
- Bottle gourd – 500 grams
- Full cream milk – 1 litre
- Mawa – 100 grams
- Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
- Saffron strands – 8–10
- Cashews, almonds and pistachios – 2 tbsp (chopped)
- Ghee – 1 tsp
Method
1. Peel the bottle gourd, remove the seeds, and grate it. Squeeze the grated bottle gourd lightly to remove any excess water.
2. Heat some ghee in a pan and fry the bottle gourd for 5–7 minutes to remove its raw smell.
3. Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed pot, boil milk and reduce it over low heat until it reduces to about one-third. 4.
Add the roasted bottle gourd to the milk and cook for 10–15 minutes. Add the mawa (sweetened milk) and stir well, allowing it to dissolve.
5. Then add the sugar and cook for 5–7 minutes. The mixture will be a little thin after adding the sugar, so cook again until it thickens slightly. Now, add cardamom powder, saffron, and half of the chopped nuts and mix. Turn off the heat and let the rabri cool slightly.
6. Chill the rabri in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours. While serving, garnish it with the remaining cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios and some saffron strands.
Tips to enhance the taste
1- Always use full-cream milk; this will make the rabri creamier.
2- Lightly roasting the bottle gourd first prevents its raw taste.
3- Always add sugar only after the milk and bottle gourd are thoroughly cooked.
4- If desired, you can enhance its flavor and aroma by adding rose water or a few drops of kewra water.