Lauki Sabzi | Dudhi Sabji | Bottlegourd Dry Curry Recipe

Bottle gourd curry, lauki sabzi or dudhi sabji is something I that make more with bottle gourd other than the dal. This lauki sabzi is very easy, simple and made with minimal ingredients and it goes well with roti, paratha or with dal-rice, rasam-rice etc. Normally I make this dudhi sabzi with roti or when I want to make simple lunch then I make it with dal-rice combo. This is typical Uttar Pradesh style of sabzi made like in our home but I did mention few variations in notes which you can try too.

Phalahari Dudhi (Lauki) Sabzi | Navratri Vrat Recipes

Phalahari Laudki/Dudhi Sabzi is simple bottlegourd recipe suitable during Navratri fasting and any other fasting vrat occasion. Made with minimal ingredients this vrat ke dudhi sazbi is mild in flavors and taste yum. As this is vrat recipe so this sabzi has no onion no garlic suitable for people whom avoid garlic, onion in cooking.

Lauki Pakoda | Dudhi Bhajiya | Bottlegourd Fritters

Lauki (bottle gourd) bhajiya is one of the popular pakoda in our home, since my dad don't eat potato so bottle gourd fritters gets featured a lot. As a kid I was not a very big fan of dudhi bhajiya we would remove the bottle gourd/dudhi pieces from pakoda and eat the only the outer skin so my mom has to always make potato pakodas for us.  It's strange that most of the things we use to dislike a kid start to be fond of it in our life later I have numerous things like that in my list and this lauki pakoda is one such item.  Now I don't remove the bottle gourd piece any more from the pakoda and in fact I like to eat this one.

Bottlegourd Chunety | Lauki | Dudhi Chutney Recipe

I like bottle gourd, ridge gourd chutney and I make this almost every time I use both these veggie.  I use skin(peel) along with few bottle gourd pieces to make the chutney, but some times if bottle gourd is not tender then I use it mostly to make chutney or dal as making sabzi won't be nice and it take ages to get cooked. 

Lauki Raita | Navratri Vrat Recipes

Lauki Raita is very regular in my parents house, my mom use to make this mostly for guest as it's different from usual onion, cucumber raita. Though I don't make much of these I rather use my lauki/bottle gourd in dal, sabzi etc but once in a while for change I make this too.

Lauki Badi Sabzi

Lauki or bottle gourd is one of those vegetables which I started to like now, usually I settle myself with lauki dal a easy and quick way to include bottle gourd in our diet and sometimes the simple lauki sabji which does well with rice or roti.   I had half of bottle gourd with me I decided to add badi along to make a sabji, a wonderful combination results in a tasty side dish perfect for again rice or roti, sambar, rasam, dal.  If you don’t have badi/wadi with you replace it with soya chunks/meal maker something similar to lauki soya sabzi I posted before but this will be dry version, just remember to boil and squeeze water from soya chunks before using it.  So let’s check out our recipe of the day….

Ingredients for Lauki Badi Sabzi [Serves 3-4]

Bottle gourd/Lauki - 1 medium size [2 1/2 cups chopped]
Badi/Wadi - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 [ 1/2 Cups chopped]
Green Chilies - 5-6
Minced Ginger-garlic - 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - 1 tbsp [chopped]
Water - Around 1/2 cup if required

Method:

1. Wash, peel, de-seed and chop bottle gourd in small pieces.  I make small pieces so it’s gets cooked faster and also I don’t like to bite on large pieces !
2. Wash and chop green chilies, tomato and cilantro.  Freshly mince garlic and ginger.

3. In a wok heat 1 tbsp oil add badi/wadi and sauté until golden brown in medium to slow heat, don’t do in high heat as it may get badi burnt.  Transfer into a bowl and keep aside.

~ As these badi is small & soft it will get cooked quickly so I didn’t soak them in water, if you going to use big or hard types badi/wadithen after frying in oil soak them in hot water until required to use in sabji/curry.

4. In the same wok add remaining oil, cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Add ginger garlic and green chilies & sauté until golden brown,  add chopped bottle gourd/lauki mix well.

5. Cook in medium flame for 8-10 minutes or until bottle gourd becomes soft, add turmeric and coriander seeds powder and mix.
6. Add tomato and cook for 2 minutes or until tomato gets mashed.

7. Now add fried badi/wadi, stir gently let it cook for a minute, add salt and stir.

8. Add milk and stir gently, cook for another 2 minutes until curry becomes dry and oil separates.  Garnish with cilantro and off flame.

Our lauki wadi sabzi is ready ...

Have a nice day ~~

Lauki Kheer | Dudhi Kheer Recipe

 
Wishing everyone Happy Dussehra.   I wanted to post something sweet on this special day but cooking in morning and posting the same day is not my cup of day.  So using this kheer recipe which was suppose to be part of my Navratri Vrat Recipes.  Bottle gourd/Lauki/Doodhi is a wonderful vegetable, we can make sabji, dal, kofta, halwa, kheer and so  many other things from it.  


Lauki Ki Kheer is widely made during fasting and also on festivals.   It’s very easy to prepare with minimal ingredients and taste delicious.  Before I start to peel and grate bottle gourd I keep milk to boil and let it simmer until I needed it in kheer, it helped me to save time later while cooking kheer as it was done fast and made thick creamy kheer.  Try this one time and you will fall in love with this delicious kheer.
 


Ingredients:

Milk - 1 Liter/5 Cups  [I used full cream]
Lauki/Bottle gourd - 500gms [Around 3 cups grated]
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 Cup
Cashews - 8-10
Almonds - 5-6
Raisins - 15-20
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp



Method:

1. Keep milk for boiling, after it boils slow flame to medium and let it simmer to reduce milk to 3/4 or until we need it to use. 

2. Wash, peel and remove seeds from bottle gourd and grate it.
3. Squeeze grated bottle gourd/lauki to remove water.  Don’t discard the water but use it in your dal or to make roti dough.

4. In a pan heat ghee add bottle gourd and sauté until light golden brown for around 5-6 minutes.

5. Now add boiled milk and mix well.  Milk will start to boil again, add dry fruits and cook in medium to slow flame and simmer it for 8-10 minutes.  In regular interval keep stirring the kheer.

6. Add sugar, cardamom powder and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.  To check if kheer is done if you drop kheer both milk and bottle gourd should go down together then your kheer is done, if you have bottle gourd stick to your ladle means it’s not done yet, cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve it warm or cold with dry fruits garnish. I like it cold and chilly.



Variations~

~ You can add 1/2 cup condense milk to make kheer creamy, in this case reduce sugar.  And you don’t have to simmer milk for long.
~ You can also add khoya if you wish to make the kheer very rich.

Have a nice day ~~

Lauki Soya Sabji | Bottlegourd and Soya Nuggets Curry

Most of the time I wonder what to cook as I want to prepare something simple and fast, one of these days it happen to me again though I thought of many things but somehow I was not getting in to the mood and then I remembered I had to open soya nuggets pack which I brought recently plus I had fresh bottle gourd. So I thought of adding both together to make a sabji though I was bit skeptical in the beginning about the combo but then I went ahead and it came out well, since then it become a regular dish at home  I like the curry very much and since I made in pressure cooker the soya chunks were cooked so nicely, soaking up gravy well and making it juicy and soft.  Here am sharing with you guys this recipe ..perhaps you might like this combo and enjoy as much as I do. 

Sending this to Nivedita's Only Original Recipes, a event started by Pari.

Ingredients:

Lauki/Bottlegourd - 1 1/2 Cup chopped

Soya Nuggets - 1/2 Cup

Onion - 1 medium

Green Chillies - 2

Ginger - 1 tsp chopped

Cilantro - 2 tbsp chopped - divided

Hing/Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Dry Red Chili - 1

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

Amchur/Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Water - 1.5- 2 Cups

Method:

1. Soak soya chunks in boiling water with little salt for 10-15 minutes, alternatively you can microwave water for 2minutes and soak the soya chunks. 

2. After 10-15 minutes grain the water, rinse 2-3 times under tap and squeeze chunks to remove excess water.

3. Finely chop onion, green chilies, ginger.  Peel and chop bottle gourd in bite size pieces.

4. In a pressure cooker heat oil, add asafoetida, dry red chili, cumin seeds and let it crack.  Add ginger and saute for 30 seconds, add onion and saute until it gets pink. 

5. Now add bottlegroud pieces and saute for 2 minute.  Add soya chunks, turmeric, red chili, coriander and garam masala powders and stir well cook for a minute. 

6. Add 1-2 cups of water, salt, amchur powder, 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro & give a stir.  Adjust salt n spices if required, close cooker lid and pressure cook for 1-2 whistles.

[If you are using Futura then cook until cooker starts steaming, it will be start steaming in 3-4 minutes.

I added 1.5 Cups of water]

Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve with rice or roti it goes well with both.

Note:

1. If you wish to have little thick gravy then add 1/2 tbsp of corn flour mix in little water before closing the cooker lid.   I personally don't like to add corn flour in any curry.

2. You can add one chopped tomato and exclude dry mango powder.

3. You can also add garlic.

4.You can prepare this curry in pan instead of pressure cooker, just cook until bottle gourd becomes tender. 

Have nice day ~~

Toor Dal Lauki Recipe

Lauki Dal or Dudhi dal is one of those recipes which I prepare when I’m in hurry to finish cooking or don’t want to cook anything or simply cause there is lauki at home. The recipe is simple and easy resulting in delicious dal and the big advantage is you really don’t have to cook any vegetable, without any side dish or sabji also our loyal lauki/dudhi dal will taste just yummy. There are few version of making lauki dal in my home we prepare lauki with various dal and in different ways.