I don't know whether to call this simple dish; stew, soup, or curry....lauki or bottle-gourd is green in color, and is shaped like a bottle. Its pulp is white and has white seeds within spongy flesh. It is 96.1% water, and is light on the stomach and aids digestion. Do you know 100 gm serving of lauki contains just 12 calories....wow!.....if you are watching your weight. It is rich in iron and also has vitamin C and B complex; sodium of 1.8 mg and 87 mg of potassium....perfect for hypertensive patients.
It is supposed to be one of the earliest vegetable cultivated by man, believed to be originated in Africa.
If you are a regular reader here, you know that my husband was brought up in Nainital (a beautiful hill station of Uttarakhand). My mother-in-law lived there for 20+ years...........as you might have guessed my husband loves North-Indian food.....and hence North-Indian foods found a place here in my blog.
My MIL always says that lauki is best if you have any digestive problems or if you are recovering from a fever.....and all the health benefits of this vegetable. This recipe is handed down by her; which has just a tbsp of oil and light spices and pressure cooked.....you can have it with roti/Indian flatbread or as a soup.....
Again weight watchers this is perfect for you.....there is no garlic or ginger in this recipe....and it is very lightly spiced.
Author: Nisa Homey
Ingredients:
Bottle gourd: 1, medium.
Onions: 2, medium.
Green chilly: 2.
Kashmiri Chilly powder: 1 tsp, (if using ordinary chilly powder reduce by half).
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp.
Freshly grounded coriander powder: 3/4 tsp.
Tomatoes: 3, medium.
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp.
Oil: 1 tbsp.
Water: 1/4 cup.
Coriander leaves: A small bunch, chopped.
Salt to taste.
Method:
Peel the skin of the lauki with a vegetable peeler. Also note, that you need very tender lauki .... when you buy lauki just press your thumb-nail deep into the vegetable, if it goes right in, the lauki is tender.
Take 2 onions, 3 tomatoes, 2 green chilies, and coriander leaves.
Heat a pressure cooker with 1 tbsp of oil (I used coconut oil) and add in the cumin seeds (while adding cumin seeds the oil should be heated otherwise the seeds will not crack). Then simmer the fire and add in the onions and green chilies. Saute for a min or two.
Add in the red chilly, coriander, and turmeric powders.
Give it a nice stir.
Add in the chopped tomatoes....mix well.... add in about 3/4 tsp of salt....simply stir it for 1 min..
Add in the chopped lauki mix and add 1/4 cup of water....if the lauki is very tender you might not need water at all. Close the cooker and after the 1st steam, simmer for 10 min and switch off the fire....and open when the steam has been released and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.
This is an excellent light dish to have with roti or you can just have it like a soup.
Enjoy this mildly spiced skinny stew.
A simple vegan dish....just for you.
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