Bottle gourd (grated) - 2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 3 tblsp
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Nuts and raisins - as needed
Green food colour (optional) - few drops


Method
1. Take a firm fresh bottlegourd and peel the skin.
2. Cut it in half vertically and scoop out all the seeds and membranes. Grate the flesh.
3. Heat 1 tblsp of ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the nuts and raisins. Remove and keep aside.
4. In the same ghee add the grated bottlegourd and fry for a minute or two.
5. Add the milk and cook till the milk is completely absorbed. This may take about 15minutes.
Note :- You may speed up the process by using 1 can of sweetened condensed milk instead of the milk and sugar.
6. Add the sugar and food colour. Cook for few minutes stirring often.
7. Next add the remaining ghee and cardamom powder. Cook till the halwa is thickened and becomes glossy. You can make the halwa as thick or as gooey as you want.
8. Garnish with fried nut and dry fruits. Serve warm or chilled as such or with vanilla ice cream.

we are taken from http://simpleindianrecipes.com/badamhalwa.aspx