Dudhi Basundi – A healthier take on the dreamy Indian dessert made with thickened milk, laced with cardamom and saffron. Traditionally served warm or cold, with fluffy poori to dunk in the basundi, this dish is sure to make your taste buds dance.
Basundi is a popular dessert from the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is cooked by boiling the milk, stirring frequently and reducing it by half to a creamy consistency with layers of creamy fat melding into the dish.
A variation of this dish, Rabdi or Rabri is popular in Northern India. It uses same ingredients as basundi, except the cream formed during boiling is constantly scraped and mixed into the milk and the milk is reduced to one thirds of the quantity. Making Rabdi a thicker version of the basundi.
My mom makes this dish with a healthier twist by adding dudhi also known as lauki or bottle gourd/calabash. Her creative technique makes it easy and obvious to incorporate this healthy vegetable into a dessert.
Start with peeling and discarding the top-most skin of the dudhi. Then using the same peeler or a thin mandolin slicer, to make small thin peels of the dudhi, discarding the seedy-soft middle layer.
Saute the thinly peeled pieces of dudhi with some ghee, milk, sugar and cook it down until the milk is of the consistency you desire- basundi or rabdi. The final dish will have a lovely pinkish-yellow hue with rich-exotic aromas from cardamom and saffron. Top it off with pistachios or almonds or skip them for a delicious nut-free dessert.
Variations for dudhi basundi recipe:
- Add more or less dudhi. I have used 4 cups in this recipe but you can also use 2 cups.
- Add whole milk after the pressure cooking step for a more creamier basundi.
- Saute for a longer time in the end to get thicker consistency like rabdi.
Here is a quick video:
Here are some other delicous recipes for the versatile and nutrition packed dudhi/lauki/calabash/bottle gourd:
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- 1 pound calabash dudhi or lauki
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 cups low fat milk
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron
- 2 1/2 cups low fat milk or whole milk
- 2 tablespoons pistachios sliced
- Peel the outside skin of dudhi and discard. Make thin slices using a peeler or a mandolin slicer, about 2 to 4 cups.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute mode and heat ghee. Add dudhi and sauté for a minute.
Add sugar, cardamom, low fat milk and saffron. Give a quick stir. Close the Instant Pot with pressure release handle to sealing. Pressure cook for 5 minutes followed by 10 minute natural pressure release.
Open the Instant Pot. Add whole milk (or low fat) and cook on sauté (normal) mode for 15 to 20 minutes or until the basundi is of desired consistency.
Enjoy warm or chilled topped with sliced pistachios.
Recipe Video
Notes: You can add upto 1/2 cup of sugar for sweeter basundi.
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Author: Archana
Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
This looks fantastic and I like that it has so little sugar! I suppose one could substitute honey too. But I have no idea what calabash dudhi or lauki are and don’t believe I can find it where I live. Is it a fruit? Thank you for sharing!
It is a vegetable, gourd family similar to zucchini but bigger in size. Usually Asian grocery stores sell them as calabash. I have a photo of it in the post. And yes honey is also a good sweetener.
Love it. My mom makes so delicious. Yours looking soo inviting… Amazing share. Lovely pic
I think I found this squash! Here on Whidbey Island it’s called Opo squash. I am trying it this weekend. I am very excited. Thank you!
You are amazing!! I just googled opo squash and that is exactly what it is. Can’t wait to hear how you like it.
I made your Duhdi Basundi for a friend yesterday…she loved it. I also posted it on my 4waystoyummy FB page and I included your link and wanted to thank you for a healthy dessert option. I think your bolg is fabulous! Good luck!
Thank you Heide! I can’t wait to check out your FB page.