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Showing posts with label bottle gourd benefits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bottle gourd benefits. Show all posts

Friday, November 8, 2013

Lau Raee

Today I am back with yet another Lauki recipe. No matter how much I experiment with it, I am not getting over this wonderful vegetable. Subtly flavored and with a high water content, it imbibes the added flavors rather easily. Read on for the recipe:
















Preparation Time-20-30 mins

Ingredients - 4 cups chopped lauki, 1 medium sized tomato chopped, 1 medium onion chopped, 1/2 tsp pancha-phutana or mustard seeds, 1 dry red chilli, 1/3 tsp turmeric, salt to taste, 2 tsp oil, 2/3 cup grated coconut.

For the mustard paste: 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 5-6 garlic cloves, 1 red chilli.

Preparation: Grind the mustard, cumin and red chilli into coarse powder in dry state .Then add a little water along with garlic flakes and grind again into a fine paste.

Chop the onion and tomato into small pieces.

Cooking: Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the broken red chilli and mustard seeds.

Add the chopped onion and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and cook till it softens.

Add the mustard paste along with 2 cups water. Add salt and turmeric, and bring to a boil.

Add the lauki/bottle gourd pieces and cover with  a lid. Cook till the lauki softens. (Do not throw away excess water as this curry tends to be watery.)

Garnish with grated coconut and serve with rice and dal.









Monday, September 30, 2013

Dahi Lau ( Lauki ka raita )

'Kitne ka hai Bhaiya ?', I asked the neighbourhood vegetable vendor. 'Chalis de do madam', he replied with a grin. Forty rupees a kilo for the very humble lauki, I exclaimed. There was a time when my mom used to run after us to feed us lauki-chana or lauki santula and we would go to any lengths to avoid it. But I guess the growing years and Baba Ramdev's claims about this wonder vegetable has turned me into a new leaf. This vegetable is touted to have myriad health benefits ranging from curing heart diseases, lowering blood pressure, curing jaundice,treating gastrointestinal disorders and improving liver function. With 96 percent water and just 12 calories per 100 grams, it is very helpful if you are on a weight loss diet.

Just like another superfood 'Spinach aka Palak', I keep trying to incorporate it regularly in my meals. So, here is another lauki recipe:


















Preparation Time - 10-15 mins

Ingredients -

  • 3 cups (peeled and diced) bottle gourd/lauki/doodhi
  • 1 cup fresh yogurt/curd 
  • 1 small onion (optional)
  • 2-3 green chillis
  • a pinch of asafoetida
  • 3 tbs freshly grated coconut
  • 1/2 mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • a sprig of curry leaves
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tsp oil



Preparation - Boil the bottle gourd in a pressure cooker with a little salt for 1 whistle. Remove from flame and keep aside to cool. Do not throw away excess water.

Chop the onion into small pieces.

Take the yogurt in a mixing bowl and add salt, chopped onion and coconut. Beat lightly.

Cooking - Heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Allow to splutter and then add the broken green chilli and curry leaves. Add asafoetida after 30 seconds and switch off flame.

Add the tempering to the beaten curd along with boiled bottle gourd pieces and some of the excess water. Mix well.

Serve with rotis or rice and dal.
























Note - This is a popular item during Navratri but without the onions.

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