• 1 cup - Almonds
• 4 to 6 - Cashew nuts (optional)
• ¾ cup - Sugar
• ½ cup - Ghee -melted (may not use all of it)
• ¼ cup - milk (I used almond milk)
• ¼ tsp - saffron strands
• ½ tsp - cardamom powder 
• 1 tbsp - chopped or slivered almonds for garnish
• small pinch of salt

Ingredients:

• 3 cups - Ash gourd/White Pumpkin/ Winter Melon/ BoodhKumbalakayi
• 1 cup - Sugar
• ½ tsp - Cardamom/Elaichi Powder
• ¼ tsp - Saffron strands
• 2 tsp - warm milk
• 10 - Cashew nuts halved/broken
• 3 tbsp Ghee
• ½ cup - milk |or| 2 tbsp - condensed-milk (optional)

Method:

1. Peel the skin and de-seed the Ash-gourd.  Wash and grate the Ash-gourd. Many version of the recipe call for draining the liquid of the grated Ash-gourd by squeezing or putting in a colander. But I save the liquid and let the Ash-gourd cook in its own water. Way throw away all the nutrients.



2. Heat a non-stick pan (or kadai or wok) on medium heat add 1 tsp of ghee.
3. Add the cashew-nuts to the hot ghee and roast to golden color. Remove the cashews and keep aside.



4. In the same pan, now add the grated Ash-gourd, cover and let it cook. Stir the mixture in between, this whole process may take from 10 to 20 minutes depending on the quantity and tenderness of the Ash-gourd.
5. Optional-step: after about 5 minutes, add milk or condensed-milk, mix, cover the lid and let it cook further until most of the liquid is absorbed or Ash-gourd is completely cooked and is soft. 



6. Meanwhile, to 2 tsp of warm-milk add saffron strands. Let it soak for about 2 minutes. Using a pestle or back of a spoon crush the saffron to extract more color. No need to make a paste or break the strand. Keep aside.
7. Once the ash gourd is cooked stir in the sugar. Mix and cook. Keep stirring. From this point on, you can not leave the pan.



8. Once sugar melts, mix-in the saffron and milk mixture. The color of the halwa will now turn to yellowish hue.
 


9. Once the mixture thickens, add rest of the ghee, roasted cashew-nuts and cardamom powder.

10. Continue stirring until the halwa starts to leave the sides of the pan and most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat.
11. Transfer the halwa to a serving bowl. Let it cool and serve as is or with vanilla ice-cream

Halwa recipes: Carrot halwa, Falooda and China grass halwa, Duddi Halwa, Suji Pineapple halwa,  Kashi Halwa and Badam Halwa

Ingredients:

• 1 - Bottle gourd 
• 1½ cups - Milk
• 1 ½ cups - Sugar 
• 1 ½ tbsp - Ghee 
• ¼ tsp -  Cardamom(Elaichi) powder 
• Sliced Almonds or Cashew-nuts and raisins - as per taste
• 1 tbsp - condensed milk (optional)

Method:

1. Wash and peel the bottle gourd skin. Use a large hole grater to grate. If the Bottle gourd is tender use the center core with seeds or else discard it. 
2. You may squeeze grated bottle-gourd to remove the liquid , but l don't mind using it to cook the bottle-gourd as I want to keep all the nutrients. It will just take few extra minutes to thicken while cooking
3. Add milk to grated bottle-gourd and cook in a heavy bottom sauce-pan or pressure cook till one whistle.
4. After the cooker is cooled, transfer the mixture to a heavy bottom vessel and cook it on stove on medium flame.
5. Mix sugar(or jaggery) to the mixture and keep stirring.
6. When most of the liquid is gone, mix ghee and almond and raisins (and slightly roasted cashew) to the mixture. Stir for a minute and turn of the flame.
7. Stir in the Cardamom powder.
8. While it is still warm transfer the halwa on to a serving tray and apply edible silver leaf for garnishing. (optional)
9. Bottle-gourd halwa may be served warm or cold.

Variation:
. Add 2 Tbl.sp of crumbled plain khoa when halwa is three fourth cooked.
. Reduce the amount of sugar and add sweetened condensed milk for a rich taste.

Ingredients:
. Milk - 1 litre full fat milk
. Condensed milk - 1 can
. Sugar - ½ cup
. China grass /Agar agar - 10 to 15 g (or Gilatin)
. Falooda Sav(noodle) - 1 ½ cup
. Cardamom pdr - from 1 or 2 pods
. Saffron - 5 to 8 threads

For Garnish:
1 tbl sp - pistachio or almond slices


Method:
1. Soak the agar agar in water (in a pan) for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Heat milk in a sauce pan and add sugar to it, stirring to dissolve.
3. At the same time heat the soaked agar agar along with the water in another pan in medium to low heat.
4. When the milk starts to bubble, add Falooda Sav and condensed milk, reducing the heat to low and stirring continuously.
5. Add dissolved agar agar into the milk through a sieve and remove any undissolved residue.
6. Stir well, and remove from heat.
7. Mix in Cardamom pdr and transfer the mixture to a wide setting tray.
8. Sprinkle saffron  and refrigerate after cooling until set for 1 to two hours.
9. Cut into diamond or square shapes and garnish with pistachio or almond slices.
10. Serve cold.

Variations:
1. Add ready Badam-Milk mix or Kulfi mix to the boiling milk in step-4 for different flavors.
2. If you  don't have Falooda-Sav, substitute with roasted vermicelli/semiya. 

Ingredients:
. Grated carrots - 3 cups
. Milk - 1 ½ cups
. Sugar - 1 ½ cups
. Ghee - 1 ½ tbl.sp
. Cardamom(Elaichi) powder - ¼ tsp.
. Sliced Almonds or Cashewnuts and raisins - as per taste.
. Edible Silver foil/wark (optional) - for garnishing
Method:
1. Add milk to grated carrots and pressure cook till one whistle.
2. After the cooker is cooled, transfer the mixture to a heavy bottom vessal and cook it on stove on medium flame.
3. Mix sugar to the mixture and keep stirring.
4. When most of the liquid is gone, mix ghee and almond & raisins (or slightly roasted cashew) to the mixture. Stir for a minute and turn of the flame.
5. Stir in the Cardamom powder.
6. While it is still warm transfer the halwa on to a serving tray and apply silver wark for garnishing.

Gajar halwa may be served warm or cold.
Variation:
. Add 2 Tbl.sp of crumbled plain khoa when halwa is three fourth cooked.
. Reduce the amount of sugar and add sweetened condensed milk for a rich taste.
. Grind the carrots to smooth paste after cooking, and then follow the recipe.

Halwa recipes: Carrot halwa, Falooda and China grass halwa, Duddi Halwa, Suji Pineapple halwa,  Kashi Halwa and Badam Halwa