For dudhi halwa, take 1 ½ cups of milk in a vessel and bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile, wash the bottle gourd under running water. Peel the skin and discard the central soft portion with seeds. Grate the lauki and keep aside.

Heat desi ghee in a wide, heavy bottomed pan. Drop in the cashew nuts and fry over medium heat till golden brown. Remove the fried cashews and keep aside.

Now tip in the grated lauki. Saute in ghee over low-medium heat, till the bottle gourd softens and the moisture disappears, about 7-10 minutes.

Now add the milk to the sautéed bottle gourd. Simmer over low-medium heat till the milk is absorbed and the mixture starts to thicken. Keep stirring constantly to prevent milk from getting scorched.

Now add the sugar to the mixture in the pan. The lauki halwa will become slightly gooey as the sugar dissolves. Keep stirring over low flame till the ghee starts to seep from the sides.

Add cardamom powder to the halwa and mix well. Simmer for a further 5 minutes or till the dudhi halwa thickens up.

Stir in the fried cashew nuts.

Remove from heat and transfer into a serving dish.