Sweets recipes | Havyaka

Haalgumbala paayasa | Bottle gourd kheer

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

Haalgumbala kaayi paayasa or bottle gourd kheer is a simple, flavorsome, easy to prepare traditional sweet dish. This paayasa or kheer is made with bottle gourd, milk, jaggery, whole wheat flour, and flavored with cardamom.

In traditional Haalgumbla kaayi paayasa, the bottle gourd is chopped finely to make paayasa or kheer. Instead you can also grate the bottle gourd to make paayasa. Taste may slightly differ.

A note on Haalgumbala kaayi

Haalgumbala kaayi is also known as Sorekaayi, Lauki, Ghia, Doodhi, Bottle gourd or Opo squash. This versatile veggie comes with different shapes and varieties. Not only attractive to look at but healthy too. Bottle gourd is used in making both sweet and savory dishes.

Though I have not come across, bottle gourd can be bitter sometimes. So before using bottle gourd taste and check it. Make sure to use tender and fresh bottle gourd for any recipe for the best results.

The below image is of the round and long bottle gourd in our backyard. And, the round one is used to make this recipe. The underrated bottle gourd really requires promotion in practical!

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Cool off time

0 Total time

1 hour

Course

Sweets

Diet

Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Moderate

Servings

5 cups

Ingredients

3 cups finely chopped bottle gourd
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons jaggery or as required
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
5 cardamoms
1/4 teaspoon salt
Water as required

Cookware / Utensils

Thick pan or vessel
Bowl(s)
Spoon or Ladle
Mortar and pestle

Instructions

Make Haalgumbala kaayi paayasa

Rinse the bottle gourd with water, peel and chop finely (3 cups).
Take chopped bottle gourd in a pan or vessel. Add required water and boil on a medium heat. Let it cook to a soft texture.
While the bottle gourd is cooking take 1 tablespoon ghee in a thick pan and heat it on a low flame.
Add 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour to the heated ghee.
Mix well and begin to sauté the wheat flour on a low to medium heat.
Stir non-stop and sauté until it turns golden or brown and aromatic. Switch off the heat and let it become warm or cool.
Once it is cooled down, add 1/2 cup water to the wheat flour and mix well. There should not be any lumps. Cover and keep aside.
Take 5 cardamoms, remove the seeds, rinse them, and crush them to a fine powder using mortar and pestle. Cover and keep aside.
Now, once the bottle gourd is cooked to a soft texture, add 2 tablespoons jaggery or as required. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt or as required.
Mix well and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for 4 to 5 minutes on medium to high flame.
Then, add the wheat flour mixture to the bottle gourd mixture.
Mix well and boil until it thickens. Stir frequently and make sure that the flour is not sticking at the bottom of the pan.
Once the paayasa mixture thickens, reduce the heat to low.
Add 2 cups milk and mix well. Simmer the bottle gourd paayasa or kheer on low to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Switch off the heat. Add cardamom powder and mix well.
Serve the bottle gourd paayasa hot or warm or at room temperature.

Step by step guide

How to make Haalgumbala kaayi paayasa

1. Rinse the bottle gourd with water, peel and chop finely (3 cups).

2. Take chopped bottle gourd in a pan or vessel. Add required water and boil on a medium heat. Let it cook to a soft texture.

3. While the bottle gourd is cooking take 1 tablespoon ghee in a thick pan and heat it on low flame.

4. Add 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour to the heated ghee.

5. Mix well and begin to sauté the wheat flour on a low to medium heat.

6. Stir non-stop and sauté until it turns golden or brown and aromatic. Switch off the heat and let it become warm or cool.

7. Once it is cooled down, add 1/2 cup water to the wheat flour and mix well. There should not be any lumps. Cover and keep aside.

8. Take 5 cardamoms, remove the seeds, rinse them, and crush them to a fine powder using mortar and pestle. Cover and keep aside.

9. Now, once the bottle gourd is cooked to a soft texture, add 2 tablespoons jaggery or as required. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt or as required.

10. Mix well and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for 4 to 5 minutes on medium to high flame.

11. Then, add the wheat flour mixture to the bottle gourd mixture.

12. Mix well and boil until it thickens. Stir frequently and make sure that the flour is not sticking at the bottom of the pan.

13. Once the paayasa mixture thickens, reduce the heat to low.

14. Add 2 cups milk and mix well. Simmer the bottle gourd paayasa or kheer on low to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

15. Switch off the heat. Add cardamom powder and mix well.

You can switch off the heat once the paayasa is heated properly or can bring it to boil depending upon the jaggery used. If the jaggery is sour milk will curdle when boiled.

16. Serve the bottle gourd paayasa hot or warm or at room temperature.

Notes

The bottle gourd paayasa or kheer thickens on cooling. You can add more or less milk or / and whole wheat flour to adjust the consistency of the paayasa or kheer as required.
Taste the bottle gourd before using. It should not taste bitter and do not use the bitter bottle gourd.
Taste the jaggery that you are using. If it is little acidic, add the milk after switching off the heat. Or do not boil the paayasa after adding milk.
This paayasa stays good for about 12 hours at room temperature. However, the duration depends on the climate and room temperature conditions.