Lauki sabji or bottle gourd curry is my favourite meal.Unlike many people,I love bottle gourd or ghia.It is a versatile veggie.Lauki recipes are simple.Make a sweet barfi out of it,lauki sabzi or make kofta.You can also add it to khichdi ,make a thepla or make a lauki dal out of it.You can actually replace potato in pav bhaji with doodhi and people wouldn't know.
Humble lauki/dudhi is easy to cook.It cooks fast.You need minimal ingredients to make the doodhi sabzi.Great for a mid-week meal too.If you use oil for tempering,it goes vegan and gluten-free too.
Lauki is also very good during pregnancy and helps you avoid constipation.It is one of the reasons I recovered well post pregnancy too.It has 96% water content and multiple health benefits.
Some people will say arre bimaar hai kya jo lauki khaye?But believe me,it saves you from many diseases when you eat it at a regular basis.
Health benefits
- Easy to digest.Hence highly recommended for those recovering from illness or injury.
- Great for diabetics and those who are controlling their weight
- Natural diuretic and good source of vitamins and Iron.
- Excellent way to control hypertension and UTI.
This is an easy curry so even toddlers can have it.You can cook with or without garlic and onions.Perfect for toddlers also as it goes really soft once cooked.This helps them digest it well.Add a potato/onion if there are more people.You do not need to add water to this veggie.It releases water as it cooks.You can cook it in a pan or pressure cooker if you like it soupy.
Tip: If you like you may add some crushed peanuts to the curry.This enhances protein and adds texture to it.Some people may feel pulse drop in old age with this.In that case,avoid adding peanuts.You may add coconut for texture.
How to make lauki ki sabzi?
Read the Lauki sabji recipe below
Lauki (bottle gourd curry) is an easy sabji.Best for weight-loss.
Ingredients
- 1 large bottle gourd chopped
- 2-3 large tomatoes
- 2 tbsp ghee/oil if vegan
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 piece ginger
- Sprig of curry leaves
- 2 green chillies chopped
- Pinch of asafoetida (optional)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker or wok, heat oil/ghee.
- Add cumin seeds and let it splutter.Add ginger,chillies,curry leaves and pinch of asafoetida optionally.
- Add the chopped bottle gourd pieces with salt.
- Let it cook till it softens.
- Add tomatoes followed by the spices.
- Cook until they are soft or pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
- Serve hot with flatbread or rice.
Notes
You can avoid asafoetida if going gluten-free.
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