LAUKI KHEER

Traditional Indian pudding!Preparation Time : 20- 25 minutes
Cooking Time : 25-30 minutes
Servings : 4
INGREDIENTS

Bottle gourd (lauki/doodhi)  - 500 grams
Ghee  - 3 tablespoons
Cashewnuts - 15
Milk  -1 litre
Sugar -1/2 cup
Green cardamom powder  - 1/2 teaspoon
Kewra water  - 1 teaspoon

METHOD

Peel bottle gourd, cut into half, remove seeds, wash and then grate. Boil in water until soft, strain and then squeeze to remove excess water. Heat ghee in a kadai, add cashewnuts and sauté till lightly browned. Drain and keep aside. Add boiled bottle gourd to the same ghee, cook for few minutes and keep aside. Bring milk to a boil, then simmer till it is reduced to three-fourths and add the cooked pumpkin. Stir to mix well. Add sugar. Cook till sugar dissolves and kheer is semi-thick. Mix in green cardamom powder and kewra water. Pour into individual serving bowls, garnish with browned cashewnuts and serve hot or cold.

HOT FUDGE PUDDING

A lip smacking hot dessert for monsoon.
Servings : 4


INGREDIENTS

Refined flour (maida)  - 1 1/4 cups
Salt  - 1/4 teaspoon
Soda bicarbonate - 1/2 teaspoon
Powdered sugar  - 3/4 cup
Dark chocolate, grated  - 1 cup
Butter  - 2 tablespoons
Vanilla essence  - 1 teaspoon
Vinegar  - 2 tablespoons
Milk  - 1/3 cup
Walnut kernels, chopped  - 1 cup
Demerara sugar  - 1 cup

METHOD


Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease and flour an eight-inch round cake tin. Sift flour, salt, soda bicarbonate and powdered sugar into a bowl. Place half cup grated chocolate in another bowl. Add butter and melt in the microwave for one minute. Whisk it well, add vanilla essence, vinegar and half the milk and mix. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and mix. Add the remaining milk and mix. Add most of the walnuts and mix. Transfer the batter into the baking dish. Spread the brown sugar on the surface. Spread the remaining walnuts over it. Boil one and a half cups of water. Add it to the remaining chocolate and mix till the chocolate melts. Pour this over the batter in the baking dish. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for forty to forty five minutes. Serve hot