Bottle Gourd Curry (Doodhi/Lauki)

Servings : Serves 3-4

A very tasty and versatile vegetable, which tastes amazing when mixed with daal/lentils!

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sized bottle gourd
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 green chili, slit
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsp tomato ketchup (optional)
  • 1/4 cup soaked and boiled lentils (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Instructions

Cut off the top/stem of the vegetable. Peel it and then cut it down it’s length in half. Scrape out the spongey center and seeds. Slice the gourd in strips and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pot or pressure cooker, add cumin seeds and let them splutter, then add the onions and fry until almost golden. Next add the garlic and ginger pastes, stir fry them quickly, then add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and split green chili. Sprinkle the turmeric, coriander and cumin powders, and the red chili powder.

Cook until the tomatoes are mushy and have lost all their moisture. Now add the lauki and stir them in this tomato mixture for a minute. Sprinkle some salt over them and then add about 1 cup water. Cover and pressure cook for about 4-5 whistles on medium heat or if you’re using a regular pot, simmer on medium to low heat for about 25 minutes or until the bottle gourd slices are soft. You can top up with more water if needed.

Finally add the ketchup (it really adds a unique flavor to the dish) If you’re using the cooked lentils, add them in at this point and simmer them in the curry for about 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and sprinkle garam masala and the chopped coriander. Done!

Enjoy. 🙂

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