Bottle gourd in tomato gravy

This is another variation of lauki made interesting for having with roti. Lauki is easily digestible and hence most suited for small children, elderly people and also convalescing people.

Ingredients:

500g lauki, 250g tomato or 100g tomato puree, 3 onions, ½ cup chopped hara dhania, ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp ginger paste, ½ tsp dhania powder, ½ tsp jeera powder, ¼ tsp haldi powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 2tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash peel and cut finely the lauki. 
2. Wash and chop finely tomatoes. 
3. And lastly peel and chop onions finely and keep side. 
4. Heat oil in a pan, put chopped onions, ginger paste, garlic paste and fry till golden brown. 
5. To this add jeera powder dhaniya powder, haldi powder, chilli powder and fry a little. 
6. Now add tomatoes and mix well and simmer it till the oil leaves sides. 
7. Finally add lauki and little water and cook till soft and done.

Garnish with hara dhania and serve hot with rice or roti. 

Lauki kofta curry

This is another variation of lauki preparation. Unlike the other preparations which are less spicy, this one can take a little extra spice.

Ingredients:

500g lauki, 100g tomato puree', 2 onions, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp dhania powder, 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried herbs of fenugreek), ½ tsp haldi (turmeric), 1 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tbsp corn flour, 3 tbsp oil, separate oil for deep frying koftas, salt to taste and hara dhania for garnishing.

Preparation:

1. Wash, Peel and grate lauki and squeeze off and discard the water. 
2. To this add a little salt, haldi, red chilli powder and corn flour. 
3. Heat oil in deep frying pan, make small balls of grated lauki mixture and fry till golden brown and set aside.
4. Peel and chop the onions finely. 
5. For the gravy, heat oil in a pan, put the chopped onions, ginger paste, garlic paste and fry till golden brown, to this add jeera powder, dhaniya powder, haldi, mirchi, salt and kasoori methi and fry a little. 
6. Now add tomato puree and fry till the gravy leaves sides. 
7. Put the kofta balls into this and also a little water and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with roti or rice. 

Bottle gourd with coconut

The use of coconut is predominant in the southern states, especially Kerala. Coconut gives a sweet taste to the dish. Its fibre content is also good for the system. Anything in moderation will not harm the system at all.

Ingredients:

½ kg bottle gourd, ½ cup grated fresh coconut

For  seasoning:

 ½ tsp black gram, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 1 twig curry leaves, 2 red chillis, 2 tsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut lauki into small pieces. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the dal and spices. 
3. Fry till golden brown and add the lauki and ½ cup water and cover with the lid. 
4. Once it is done soft, fold in the coconut to the vegetable and remove from fire.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Bottle gourd with Masoor Dal

Another variety of dal which can be combined with lauki is masoor dal which is orange in colour but after cooking it turns yellow. This is called mysore dal in south india.

Ingredients:

½ kg lauki, 100g masoor dal

For  tempering:
 ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 2 red chillis, 1 twig curry leaves, 2 tsp oil, a pinch of asafetida, one fresh lime and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut lauki into 1 ½ inch cubes.
2. In a small pressure cooker put dal and lauki with enough water and salt and give maximum 2 whistles.
3. When the dal is done soft,  in oil, fry  jeera, mustard, curry leaves, hing (asafoetida) and red chillis and put in the dal.
4. Finally sqeeze one fresh lime in to the dal.

Serve with rice or roti.

Bottle gourd with moong dal (green gram)

Bottle gourd is available during the summer months generally. But these days many of the vegetables are seen throughout the year for a little extra price. This vegetable has a soothing effect.  Also medicinal value, when had its juice first thing in the morning.

Ingredients:

½ kg bottle gourd (lauki), 50g moong dal,salt to taste.

For tempering:

 ½ tsp urad dal, ¼ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, 1 twig curry leaves, 2 red chillis, 2 tsp oil.

Preparation:

1. Soak moong dal in little water. 
2. Peel and cut lauki into small pieces. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put the tempering ingredients and fry a little, to this add the vegetable and soaked dal and salt.  Put ½ cup water and place the lid. 
4. The vegetable will be done in 10 to 12 mins.

Serve with plain rice or roti.

Dhappadam

A variety of fresh vegetables can be put into this to give a fine taste to the dish. This is similar to stew and gives the taste as per the vegetables used and goes well with hot rice on a rainy day. It is a sumptuous dish with a whole lot of nutritive value.

Ingredients:

Fresh vegetables:

500g yellow pumpkin, a small bottle gourd, two small carrots, two onions, handful of string beans, three small brinjals(optional).

50g seedless tamarind soaked in little water, 50g jaggery, 2tsp cornflour.

1/2tsp chilli powder, 1/4tsp haldi powder 1/2tsp jeera( cumin) powder, 1tsp dhaniya (coriander)powder,1/4tsp methi (fenugreek)powder,1tsp salt to taste. For fresher aroma, methi, dhaniya, jeera and 2/3 red chillis can be fried in a little bit of oil and powdered fine in the mixer and then be used in this dish.

For seasoning:

1tbsp oil,1/2tsp mustard seeds, 1/2tsp jeera seeds, 2 pinches of hing(asafoetida) and 1 twig of kadipatta.

Preparation:

Cut the vegetables into medium sized cubes and put that much water to cover all the vegetables and cook on medium flame. Once the vegetables are soft add the dry masalas and stir well. Take the pulp out of the tamarind, add little water to corn flour and mix it with jaggery and add this to the vegetables along with tamarind pulp. Cook for a while, take a small pan, put oil, mustard seeds, jeera, hing and kadi patta and as the seeds start spluttering add the seasoning to the dish before taking it off the flame.

This can be stored in the refrigerator. The taste in fact improves upon storing.