Lau er khosa bhaja (bottlegourd peel stir fry)

Found in every kitchen of the Indian household, bottle gourd believed to have originated in Africa constitutes a major part of food in the Indian cuisine. Like it or not, this gourd has dominated the domestic main course menu for time immemorial. Locally known as “Lauki” (Hindi) or “Sorakkai” (Tamil), this veggie is not that popular in the western world.

What’s making this veggie popular these days is its enormous impact on the treatment of high blood pressure and heart disease. The myriad of health benefits of bottle gourd is least known to many, yet unknowingly it is consumed in majority of the Indian families because of the low price tag it carries in the vegetable market and its wide availability.

This unusual recipe it was introduced to me by none other than my mom. One fine day, she served me this stir fry and asked me to guess the ingredients. I had no idea whatsoever about this form of a humble lauki present right in front of me. Forget about all the logic and reasoning, the idea of using or rather utilizing the peel of a bottle gourd wouldn't have occurred to me even in my wildest of imagination. I knew that doctors asked to cook veggies mostly along with their peel but we seldom practice that. Right? So here was my new venture as cook. Though I differ from my mom in every style of my cooking, I respect her skills and never bother to play around the recipe much. Mothers know best you see.

Preparation Time: - 15 min

Cooking Time: - 15~20 min

Servings: - 3~4 persons

Ingredients:

1. Finely chopped peel of bottlegourd of a medium sized Lau/Lauki. For this one we need very fresh and tender bottlegourd. Stale gourds give a bitter flavor. So cook this in season
   
2. 1 chopped small size onion
3. 2 slit green chillies
4. Black Jeera / Paanchforon (Bengali 5 spices)
5. ½ tsp turmeric powder

6. Salt to taste
7. 2 tbsp mustard oil
8. ½ tsp Sugar ((if you like go ahead or else leave, being a Bengali I have a sweet tooth)
9. 1 tsp poppy seeds (posto)

Preparation:-

1. Thinly slice the bottle gourd peel. It will be easier to fry
   

2. Heat oil in the pan. Use medium flame.
3. Add black jeera and sauté till it is fried. I used paanchforon instead
4. Then add chopped onion. Sauté till golden brown.
5. Now add the chopped pieces of the bottlegourd skin
6. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add salt, green chilli and turmeric poweder. Stir and mix.
8. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes.
9. Check if the bottlegourd has turned soft. You can wait till it becomes crispy if you so want it
10. Add sugar and poppy seeds. Cook for some more time till the poppy seeds turn brown.

Serve as a starter with hot rice. This great side dish served alongwith rice and dal or parathas. The taste is awesome. Enjoy your meal.

Tips: In order to avoid the peel from becoming dark, soak the peels in water and then chop them finely. You may add chopped potatoes in this dish. You may like them with skin provided you wash them well. You can also add a dry red chili along with black jeera if you want it more spicy.

 

Video added for this recipe. Please click https://youtu.be/nBfikC5Xq-Y

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.