Wash and soak sago for 1 hour.

Wash basmati rice and pat dry.

Spread rice on a muslin cloth to dry for 30-40 minutes.

Grind the dried rice to a coarse powder.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, add ghee and roast slivered almonds until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

In the same ghee, sauté grated bottle gourd for 2-3 minutes until it releases liquids.

Add half of the milk and 1-1/2 cups of water to the bottle gourd and cook until soft.

In another heavy-bottomed pan, add remaining milk, coarsely ground rice, and soaked sago.

Cook, stirring continuously to prevent burning, until done.

Add condensed milk, cardamom powder, almond powder, vanilla essence, and the cooked bottle gourd mixture to the rice and sago mixture.

Stir gently to combine all ingredients well.

Cook on low flame, stirring until everything is combined.

Cook until you reach a kheer-like consistency.

If the mixture becomes too thick, add 1/2 cup of milk or water to adjust consistency.

Turn off the heat and transfer the Gil-E-Firdaus to a serving bowl.

Garnish with golden-fried slivered almonds and edible silver leaf.

Chill before serving.