Lauki Barfi, made with Lauki and milk and a healthy sweetener is a delicious as well as a healthy recipe. Also, it is very easy to make and do not require any skill to make it.
Though the name itself may put off many of you. But one minute, don't be in a hurry to do so. Give me 5 minutes, come with me, go through this post and then decide.
Ok! Btw, it's one of my favorite sweets. It tastes awesome however the colour does not do justice. This is because I didn't add any green color.
I know poor Lauki is not very sought for vegetables. It is labelled as old peoples favourite or to be had only during illness. Though even Lauki veggie can be made in many different and delicious ways, Lauki raita and Muthia too are good. But not going into all these, I will today make you taste Lauki barfi.
I bet that if it is offered to you without disclosing its core ingredient, which is Lauki, you will not only like it but go for a second helping too. This is what I did with my son Siddharth. Only after he appreciated it that I disclosed it was Lauki. And he was speechless.
If I leave the health quotient aside and talk only about the taste even then trust me it is one of the yummiest barfis. It is so light that you can easily gobble 5 to 6 pieces at a time and still not feel heavy.
And for health-conscious people, imagine when a low calorie, the fat-free veggie is turned into a sweet how much healthy it would be! Lauki is 96% water and is high in sodium and potassium. To know more about the benefits of lauki, read here.
Benefits
- Light on the digestive system
- Very little ghee
- Tastes much better because of rock sugar
- Full of nutrients
- Easy and simple to make.
How to Make
It is made simply by cooking grated Lauki and then simmering it in milk and Mawa. The quantities of milk and Mawa can be adjusted but a little more of these brings out the best taste.
Without Refined Sugar
As I am weaning away from refined sugar, so while trying lauki ki barfi, didn't want to use refined sugar. Couldn't use jaggery either as it would have changed the colour altogether. And then I thought of using Rock sugar. I have used it earlier in my Makhana Kheer also so did the same here. Here, I would like to share one more thing. Take rock sugar which is not crystal cut. In fact, it's a type of unrefined sugar, even used in ayurvedic medicines. Its Hindi name is 'kunja mishri' and sharing a pic of it .
This Lauki ki barfi made without refined sugar not only lends a very rich taste to the barfi but also keeps its nutrients intact.
Step By Step Recipe
- Wash, peel and grate lauki. no need. I prefer using my food processor for grating lauki.
- Take ghee and grated lauki in a wok/kadhai.
- Let it cook on sim gas till all the water is evaporated and lauki gets tender too.
- Add milk, when the boil comes, turn the flame to low and let it cook till the mixture thickens up.
- In the meantime, grease a tray or plate with ghee.
- Also, take rock sugar and powder it using a rolling pin or grinder.
- When the mixture thickens up, add powdered rock sugar and Mawa.
- Cook on medium-high flame stirring continuously till all the moisture is evaporated and the mixture leaves sides and turns into a lump.
- Do the test if it is ready to set. Take the very little mixture, let it cool for a while. Roll it on your palm, if a firm ball is rolled, it means it is done.
- Another test is that continue cooking till the sizzling sound fades to a minimum.
- Add cardamom powder and nuts. We prefer plain so, I didn't add any of these.
- Put this into the greased tray and spread it using the back of the ladle.
- Let it set for few hours. When set, cut into desired shape and sizes.
FAQs
Q) Should I remove the seeds of Lauki nr Not?
That depends on the quality of lauki. If the seeds are big they should definitely be removed. But if the seeds are not visible then you can go ahead without removing these.
Q) I do not have rock sugar then what should I use?
In the absence of this rock sugar, use any other sugar you may consider suitable.
Q) How do I know that the Barfi mixture has cooked enough?
- I am sharing with you three easy methods that will help you decide the right time of setting it in the greased tray:
- The mixture will leave sides and form a lump.
- Take out a little mixture, let it cool down and roll it into your palm. It will form into a nice ball without crumbling.
- The sizzling sound almost fades.
- I find the last method the most effective and full proof.
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Lauki Barfi
An easy and light barfi using nutritious lauki.
- 500 g Lauki (Bottlegourd)
- 1 Tbsp Ghee
- 1 Cup (250 ml) Milk
- 100 g Rock Sugar Powdered
- 75 g Mawa Homemade or Storebought
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Nuts (Almonds, Pistachios etc
- Wash, peel and grate lauki. Remove seeds only if big enough otherwise no need. I prefer using my food processor for grating lauki. Not only the job is done in a few seconds but the grated lauki retains its beautiful sea green colour too.
- Take ghee in a wok/kadhai and add grated lauki as it is. No need to squeeze water out of it.
- Let it cook on sim gas till all the water is evaporated and lauki gets tender too.
- Add milk, when the boil comes, turn the flame to low and let it cook till the mixture thickens up.
- In the meantime, grease a tray or plate with ghee.
- Also, take rock sugar and powder it using rolling pin or grinder.
- when the mixture thickens up, add powdered rock sugar and mawa.
- Cook on medium-high flame stirring continuously till all the moisture is evaporated and the mixture leaves sides and turns into a lump.
- Do the test if it is ready to set. Take very little mixture, let it cool for a while. Roll it on your palm, if a firm ball is rolled, it means it is done.
- Another test is that continue cooking till the sizzling sound fades to a minimum.
- Add cardamom powder and nuts.
- Put this into the greased tray and spread it using back of the ladle.
- Let it set for few hours.
- When set, cut into desired shape and sizes.
- Always taste lauki before grating as some times it is bitter in taste.
- Grate lauki only at the time of making its barfi. If done ahead, it will get discoloured.
- No need to squeeze lauki after grating. It will get cooked in its juices only.
- Remove seeds only if they are big enough.
- If the milk curdles then no worries as eventually it will turn into mawa only.
- Cooking in milk on sim gas lets lauki absorb milk which makes a huge difference in the taste later.
- Use sweetener of your choice. You can use even jaggery powder if not particular about its colour.
- Add nuts as per your preference. I added neither cardamom nor nuts as we prefer plain lauki barfi.
I had never heard of making barfi from Lauki. Now that you have shared this recipe, I will add it to my list of homemade sweets for Diwali. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure dear. It’s worth trying once and then you will make it often. Very light and nutritious. Do share your feedback once you try it out.