Sweets recipes | Havyaka

Haalgumbala kaayi kadbu | Bottle gourd kadbu

By Usha Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

Haalgumbala or haalu (haalu means milk) kumbala kaayi is also knows as sore kaayi, doodhi, lauki, ghiya, bottle gourd or opo squash in different languages. The sweet kadbu or kadubu made with bottle gourd is Haalgumbala kaayi kadbu. This is a traditional havyaka sweet treat made during festivals or religious occasions. However, there is no constraint to make this smooth soft and tasty kadbu on regular days.

Though the ingredients and the making process looks quite simple, it is crucial to get the right consistency to kadbu dough, or else you will end up getting a different kadbu taste in bottle gourd kadbu. To make the right kadbu dough requires continuous attention.

The kadbu dough is made with ground rice batter, bottle gourd, jaggery, and salt. And, then the dough is shaped on banana leaf and steamed in a steamer.

Prep time

5 hours

Cook time

30 mins

Cool off time

10 mins

Total time

5 hrs 40 mins

Course

Sweets

Diet

Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Difficult

Servings

5 Kadbu

Ingredients

1 cup rice
4 cups finely chopped bottle gourd
1/2 cup jaggery
4 to 5 cardamoms
1/4 teaspoon salt
Water as required

Cookware / Utensils

Thick pan or kadai
Spoon or ladle
Steamer
Banana leaves - 5 to 6 banana leaf sheets

Instructions

Groundworks

Take 5 banana leaf sheets, clean them with water.
Take each banana leaf sheet and pass them over low flame (one sheet at a time), moving them constantly, until they soften and pliable. Keep aside.
Take cardamoms remove the seeds, rinse them. Cover and keep aside.

Make rice batter

Take 1 cup rice in a thick pan and dry fry on low to medium heat. Keep stirring till the rice is heated inside out. Switch off the heat once it is aromatic. No need to brown the rice. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool.
Once the rice is completely cooled down, take the rice in a bowl and rinse until clean and soak for about 3 hours.
After 3 hours, drain the water from the soaked rice. Add the rice to a mixer jar or grinder. Add cardamom seeds.
Add water and grind to a smooth batter. The batter consistency should be thin but not too thin. Cover and keep aside.

Make kadbu dough

Take bottle gourd and rinse it. Peel off the skin and chop to fine and thin pieces.
Now take the chopped bottle gourd in a thick pan or kadai. Add 1/2 cup Jaggery or as required.
Add 2 cups of water and keep it on high heat. Stir occasionally. Let it come to boil.
Reduce the heat to low as soon as it starts boiling. Add the rice batter and stir well. You need to be very quick as the rice batter starts thickening as soon as you pour it and may stick at the bottom.
Mix well and keep stirring. There should not be any lumps.
Switch off once the kadbu dough thickens. Do not heat too much. Heating too much will give elastic and dry texture to the dough and kadbu will be hard and will also taste different. Let the dough become warm or hot enough to touch.

Shape and steam kadbu

Take a steamer place a stand and pour enough water.
Place a plate and a banana leaf on top of the stand. Make sure water is not overflowing on the plate. Heat it on medium flame.
Now, take a portion of the kadbu dough and place it on a banana leaf sheet that you have softened.
Spread the dough thinly with your fingers in square or rectangular shape in the center of the banana leaf.
Fold all four sides of the banana leaf and close the kadbu. There should not be any gap left.
Place the shaped kadbu in the steamer. This way shape all the kadbu and add to the steamer.
Close the steamer lid and increase the heat to high. Steam the kadbu for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the steamer type and the intensity of the heat applied.
Once done, switch off the heat and wait for 10 minutes. Then take out the kadbu.
Remove the banana leaf carefully.
Remove the kadbu and serve hot or warm or cold (room temperature) with fresh ghee.
If you have made a large kadbu, you can make pieces and serve.

Step by step guide

How to make Haalgumbala kaayi kadbu

Groundworks

1. Take 5 banana leaf sheets, clean them with water.

2. Take each banana leaf sheet and pass them over low flame (one sheet at a time), moving them constantly, until they soften and pliable. Keep aside.

3. Take cardamoms remove the seeds, rinse them. Cover and keep aside.

Make rice batter

4. Take 1 cup rice in a thick pan and dry fry on low to medium heat. Keep stirring till the rice is heated inside out. Switch off the heat once it is aromatic. No need to brown the rice. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool.

5. Once the rice is completely cooled down, take the rice in a bowl and rinse until clean and soak for about 3 hours.

6. After 3 hours, drain the water from the soaked rice. Add the rice to a mixer jar or grinder. Add cardamom seeds.

7. Add water and grind to a smooth batter. The batter consistency should be thin but not too thin. Cover and keep aside.

Make kadbu dough

8. Take bottle gourd and rinse it. Peel off the skin and chop to fine and thin pieces.

9. Now take the chopped bottle gourd in a thick pan or kadai. Add 1/2 cup Jaggery or as required.

10. Add 2 cups of water and keep it on high heat. Stir occasionally. Let it come to boil.

11. Reduce the heat to low as soon as it starts boiling. Add the rice batter and stir well. You need to be very quick as the rice batter starts thickening as soon as you pour it and may stick at the bottom.

If you prefer, you can switch of the heat and mix the rice batter with bottle gourd mixture. Mix well and heat it again.

12. Mix well and keep stirring. There should not be any lumps.

13. Switch off once the kadbu dough thickens. Do not heat too much. Heating too much will give elastic and dry texture to the dough and kadbu will be hard and will also taste different. Let the dough become warm or hot enough to touch.

Below image shows the right consistency of the dough.

Shape and steam kadbu

14. Take a steamer place a stand and pour enough water.

15. Place a plate and a banana leaf on top of the stand. Make sure water is not overflowing on the plate. Heat it on medium flame.

If you do not have an additional banana leaf, you can just place a plate.

16. Now, take a portion of the kadbu dough and place it on a banana leaf sheet that you have softened.

17. Spread the dough thinly with your fingers in square or rectangular shape in the center of the banana leaf.

18. Fold one side of the banana leaf as shown in the picture below.

19. Fold all four sides of the banana leaf and close the kadbu. There should not be any gap left.

20. Place the shaped kadbu in the steamer. This way shape all the kadbu and add to the steamer.

21. Close the steamer lid and increase the heat to high. Steam the kadbu for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the steamer type and the intensity of the heat applied.

You can check the doneness after 30 minutes. If it is not done steam again.

22. Once done, switch off the heat and wait for 10 minutes. Then take out the kadbu.

23. Remove the banana leaf carefully.

24. Remove the kadbu and serve hot or warm or cold (room temperature) with fresh ghee.

25. If you have made a large kadbu, you can make pieces and serve.

Notes

Keep additional 2 or 3 banana leaf sheets handy.
You can either clean and soften banana leaves or soften banana leaves first and clean later.
You can use any type of rice – regular rice, dosa rice. Unpolished rice gives the best taste to the kadbu.
You can use any variety of bottle gourd. Just make sure that it is fresh and tender.
Do not cut and keep the bottle gourd. It will become black or dark quickly.
You can either finely cut or grate the bottle gourd.
Bottle gourd Kadbu stays good for 24 hours at room temperature. After a day you can reheat and keep it for another 24 hours. In summer, consume within 24 hours.