Last Updated on December 14, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Zucchini Kheer – Indian Zucchini Pudding – A western influenced flavor of a traditional Indian pudding. This chilled dessert is perfect for summer!
Although tomorrow I am presenting a more traditional payasam/kheer, today you are getting another flavor that’s not a traditional one.
Lauki, also known as long squash or bottle gourd in English, is a vegetable sold as Asian and Indian supermarkets. Although a bit firmer and cannot be eaten raw like zucchini, it has a taste very similar to zucchini. Just like zucchini, bottle gourd is used in both savory and sweet recipes. Without time to go to the Indian supermarket, I used the more readily available zucchini in this kheer variety.
Being unable to find an ingredient should NEVER be a reason to not try an interesting new recipe. There’s almost always a substitute that will yield you similar results.
While I usually prefer the thicker southern Indian style payasam, this one while not a traditional flavor is a more traditional consistency for northern Indian type kheer.
If you’d like to add a new vegetable to your diet and have an Indian or Asian market near you, here are some other savory recipes that utilize lauki you might want to try.
Bottle Gourd/ Lauki Recipes
You can customize the garnish and flavorings as you desired with any combination of the following in addition or instead of the ones I used.
Garnish Options
- Almonds
- Cashews (fried in ghee)
- Golden Raisins
- Saffron
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Cardamom
If you prefer a thinner, lighter pudding – this is definitely the kheer for you!
The perfect summer treat!
Zucchini Kheer – Indian Zucchini Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 1 ½ cups grated zucchini
- ¼ cup grated khoya
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- chopped pistacchios garnish
- preserved rose garnish
Instructions
- Bring milk and 1 cup water to a boil.
- Add zucchini and cook on a high simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add khoya, sugar and rose water. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- To serve, garnish with chopped pistacchios and preserved rose.
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Using Zucchini for Bottlegourd is indeed a fantastic substitute. I have eaten zucchini only in cakes,, never as such or in any other dish. This is surely a great way to include in the dish. The pudding looks so creamy and yummy!
here zucchini is often eaten as a vegetable in salads or simply sauteed
I love the garnish bowls. It would be hard to tell you have used zucchini in place of bottle gourd.
thank you – yes both vegetables are so similar in taste
Thats a fabulous twist with zucchini. Look at those ramekins how delectable this kheer looks. Amazing and irresistible Mir.
thanks – yes I love those colorful ramekins also
Nice twist and the keer looks absolutely delicious.Love the way you presented it.
thank you – yes zucchini made a great sub
We get zucchini rarely but bottle gourd is available all time. Using zucchini instead of bottle gourd is a wonderful idea Mir. The kheer looks so creamy and rich and I am sure it tastes divine..
and here only in Asian supermarkets or Indian ones can we get bottle gourd but zucchini is everywhere – there is such variety from country to country
Zucchini is a wonderful substitute for bottle gourd , and this kheer has come out so well . The addition of khoya must have made it so rich .
with the small amount of khoya it is still a rather light pudding which is perfect for summer
What a great idea to use zucchini in kheer. Love the richness from the mawa. Beautiful and rich kheer!
thank you – yes it worked as a great sub
An awesome substitution of bottle gourd with zucchini . The ramekins with the kheer are very tempting.
thank you – I appreciate the comments on plating
Looks delicious….Lovely texture and colour zucchini gave to the kheer. I make Zucchini Halwa
oooh – zucchini halva must taste deliicous
Kheer with that nuts’ garnish looks so inviting. Zucchini is a great substitute for lauki and ridge gourd in Indian recipes and I bet this kheer tasted amazing.
thanks – yes I find the taste of zucchini and lauki so similar
I liked the use of rose water in payasam. Replacing zucchini with bottle gourd is another wonderful idea, though I would prefer bottle gourd as it is easily available here in India
and here it is the opposite – so it is about adapting to whichever is the more easily available ingredient. You can use the same recipe with lauki – but peel it
Wow..what a lovely pudding with Zucchini. Think it can be adapted to suit a Low-Carb diet too!
thank you – I think you would like it
I am loving your twists to traditional sweets….looks like an awesome dish to try. Bookmarking!
thanks – adapting it to what’s available – I see no limits to trying any cuisine