Bottle Guard Milkshake

 

I used to get very cranky about eating the day my mom prepared launki ki sabji (cooked bottle gourd). I now totally correlate to all those kids who hate eating it and all those moms who want their kids to eat it for the nutrition it provides! Keeping in mind the dilemma of both of them, here is an amazing bottle gourd milkshake that not only is healthy, but something your kid wouldn’t be able to guess what it truly is! And yes, it works very well as a shake when guests come too!!

Serves: 2-3 people

• Let’s start by gathering the following ingredients:
  50 gms bottle gourd
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 cardamoms (elaichi) (with skin)
• 1 pinch apple green color
• 1 tbsp cashew nuts (broken)
• ½ ltr milk (raw and icy)
• 2 pistachios (chopped) (for garnishing)

The recipe to make the yummy bottle gourd milkshake:

1. Peel off the bottle gourd skin, cut it into small pieces, and pressure cook to one whistle with a glass of water. I’d personally suggest tasting the bottle gourd from both sides anytime you use it in your kitchen, as a lot of times it turns out to be bitter.
2. Once the cooker opens, discard the water.
3. In a small mixer jar / blender, add the boiled bottle gourd, cardamom, sugar, cashews, apple green color, and blend it to a paste.
4. Transfer this paste to a bigger jar, add the ½ ltr milk, and blend well.
5. Garnish with pistachios.
6. Decorate the rim of the glass with a small pinch of apple-green color touched with the left over paste in the mixer jar.

You can also use spring onion leaves instead of bottle gourd. 8-10 spring onion leaves would do for this recipe.

I prefer to use the apple-green color only when serving for guests at a party, and not for my kids. My opinion is to give it to kids without any artificial coloring, the healthier the better!!