‘Lauki Channa‘-Bottle gourd with Bengal gram lentil curry is a recipe which is common at many north Indian households.I think it s a unique way of combining the goodness of lentil proteins with calabash or hulu commonly known as bottle gourd in Hindi – ‘lauki’ or ‘ghia‘, a great diuretic.The only thing you need to be sure before cooking calabash is tasting a piece before cooking it, to ensure it is not bitter.
Nutrition facts of Bottle gourd
Ayurveda recommends ‘Lauki‘ or ‘Ghia‘ for weight loss as it contains a lot of water in it.It contains only 14 calories for a 100 gm usage.It has an easy digestion and is usually given to women post pregnancy for lunches(without lentils as it may cause some gas in new borns).It is also a moderate source of vitamin B,C and folates. This recipe is great if you need to lose weight.You can serve this with flat bread or ‘roti‘ or some brown rice for lunch or dinner as main course and yogurt dip.
Scroll below to read the recipe of Lauki channa -Bottle gourd with bengal gram lentil curry
- Channa dal or Bengal gram– ¼ cup soaked for 10 minutes in hot water
- Lauki (ghia or bottle gourd) – 1 ½ cups, cut into ½ inch cubes
- Salt – to taste
- Turmeric powder – ⅛ teaspoon
- Water – ½ cup
- Oil – 1 tablespoon
- Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
- Asafoetida (Hing)- a pinch
- Green chilies – 2, chopped finely
- Tomato – 1 medium (¾ cup finely chopped)
- Salt – to taste
- Ginger(adrak)-small piece chopped finely
- Turmeric powder (haldi) – ⅛ teaspoon
- Red chilli powder(lal mirch) – 1 teaspoon
- Cumin powder(jeera) – ½ teaspoon
- Dried mango powder(amchur) – ½ teaspoon
- Garam masala – ¼ teaspoon
- Cilantro leaves – few, chopped finely for garnishing
- Heat the oil in a saucepan.
- Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if the seed crackle right away, the oil is ready.
- Add the cumin seeds followed by asafoetida and green chilies. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add ginger, turmeric, and chili powder and stir for a few seconds.
- Add the soaked bengal gram, bottle gourd, salt, and one cup of water (adjust as needed to desired gravy thickness; bottle guard varies in moisture content).
- Pressure cook it until soft for about fifteen minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the dried mango powder, garam masala, and cilantro.
- Stir and cover the pan for a few minutes before serving with flat bread or brown rice.
- You can soak the bengal gram for 30 minutes or more instead of hot water if not in a hurry.
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