Lauki ki Barfi

This sweet takes Lauki/ Opo to a whole new level. The sweet and delicate flavor of Lauki meets a little sugar and cardamom to curb those after meal sugar cravings. A quick, simple and easy sweet, Lauki ki Barfi recipe can be prepared in under 30 minutes and requires only 5 simple ingredients.

Lauki is a summer squash for India and it was one of the most common vegetables in our house. It is known as Opo squash in US and it is 90% water with very few calories. It is one of those vegetables which is not so loved by the kids and moms usually have a tough time feeding this vegetable to their kids. My mom would keep changing ways of incorporating it in dishes and i grew up to love it every single time. I particularly loved her Lauki ka Pulao. Do try this recipe, it will change the way you and your kids look at Lauki/Opo 🙂

Lauki / Opo

This is another one of those dishes which came as a big pleasant surprise for me when i first tried it. My mother had got hold of some really fresh, tender and juicy lauki squash once and even after making the family favorites, she was left with a couple of pounds of it. She then grated them up and after like half an hour, she presented these fudges of desserts… i was so skeptical about them coz afterall, it was lauki ! but, to my crazy surprise… it was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S to core !! I remember gobbling up a few pieces in the first few minutes 😛 She had to hid the leftover barfis for the next day or i would have probably eaten all of them 😛

So, do you have 30 mins at hand ?? Let’s make them right away !! Recipe below 🙂

Lauki ki Barfi/ Opo Fudge Squares

Time: 25mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 pound/ 0.5 kgs grated Lauki (about 2 medium laukis)
3/4^th cup sugar (adjust as per need)
3 tablespoons Ghee/ Clarified Butter
3-4 green cardamom, skin removed and seeds crushed
10-12 almonds, cut into slivers

Method

Take a non stick pan. To it, add in the grated lauki and bring to heat. Stir from time to time to avoid the grated lauki from sticking to the pan. The lauki will wilt and start to lose water.
Keep cooking till most of the water evaporates, about 10-12 minutes. The lauki will soften and reduce to half the quanity.
Add in the sugar and cook for another couple of minutes till the sugar melst and gets absorbed by the cooked lauki.
Once the lauki mix starts to get dry, add in ghee (one tablespoon at a time) and start roasting the lauki. Roast well for a couple of minutes. The lauki will start to change color as it roasts.
Once the mix start to form a dough consistency, remove from flame. Add in crushed elaichi and half of the almond slivers.
Quickly, spread the mixture evenly on a pre-greased tray. Sprinkle the left over almond slivers on top and keep aside to cool down completely. Once the mix cools down, it will stick together and will be easy to cut into desired shapes.
Use a knife to cut into squares or use a cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes. Lauki ki barfi/ opo squash fudge is ready to enjoy!

Notes :

Use a non-stick pan to avoid the lauki mix from sticking to the pan.
Let the lauki juices evaporate before adding the sugar. This helps in caramelizing the lauki mix when the sugar is added for a richer taste
Add the ghee one tablespoon a time to see how much you need to roast the lauki mix well.

You have to try it to once… this is addictive ! I made this for the first time last week for my husband and though he himself is not too crazy about opo squashes, he loved this light and fragrant dessert. I think i would be making a much bigger batch pretty soon again !! Enjoy 🙂

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