Chal diye lau ghonto - Bottle gourd curry with rice

I like bottle gourd or lauki specifically as it has many health benefits and it is especially good during hot summer. 

Following are the health benefits of bottle gourd. For more details you can refer to http://conscioushealth.net/10-health-benefits-of-bottle-gourd-or-lauki-conscious-health-nahid-ameen/

1. Fiber -rich
2. Helps sleeping disorder
3. Healthy heart
4. Prevention of hair graying
5. Dandruff treatment
6. Stress reduction
7. Reduction of blood pressure.

This authentic Bengali preparation of yesteryear is one of my favorite. But it takes a lot of time to cook this yummy dish – so better to try on weekends.

Without wasting much words or time here it is:-

Preparation Time: - 20 min

Cooking Time: - 40 min

Servings: - 3~4 persons

Ingredients:-

1. 1 medium Bottle gourd
2. 2 big Potatos
3. 1/3 cup or about 75 gm Jeera rice ( If you get Gobindobhog rice it is better but it is difficult to get that in Bangalore )
4. 1 inch cinnamon stick cut into 4 pieces
5. 2 tbsp Ginger paste  ( I made the paste from real ginger)
6. 2 tsp Cumin seeds
7. 3 silted green chili (1 for garnish and 2 for cooking)
8. 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
9. 2 Bay leaves ( The photos did not have them as when I was preparing I ran out of it )
10. 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder ( you may want it more )
11. 1/3 cup curd
12. 2 tsp Garam masala
13. 1 tsp Cumin/ Jeera powder
14. 8~9 tbsp Mustard Oil (Since it is a authentic Bengali dish mustard oil should be used but most of the time I use a 1:1 mixture of mustard and sunflower oil)
15. 1 tbsp Ghee
16. Salt and Sugar to taste
17. Handful of raisins
18. Handful of peas (optional – may be in winter when fresh peas are available)

Preparation:-

1. Peel and chop the bottle gourd in small cubes. (If the bottle gourd is old then it is better to throw the seeds away)
   
2. Peel and chop the potato in smaller sized cubes than the bottle gourd. This is because lauki /bottle gourd gets boiled quicker than potatoes.
   
   
   
   
3. Wash, drain and keep aside. If the bottle gourd is not fresh then place the cubes in a cup of water for 4-5 minutes. It will soak water and freshen up.
4. Smash the ginger in a pestle and mortar to make a paste. Keep aside.
   
5. Beat the curd in a bowl, mix sugar along with cumin powder and garam masala. You can use roasted jeera powder in place of cumin powder.
   
6. Soak the jeera rice for at least 20 min. Drain and keep aside.
   
7. Take a non-stick Kadai/wok and heat the oil in high flame. Then turn the heat to medium flame and put the cumin seeds, 1 green chili, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.
   
8. When cumin seeds splutter pour the lauki and potato. Add salt.
   
9. Stir continuously and cook for 3~4 minutes.
10. Add jeera rice and stir again to mix well.
    
11. Then add ginger paste, turmeric powder and Kashmiri red chili powder.
    
12. Stir again and mix well. Sauté for 2~3 min.
13. It will release lot of juice. Cook on low flame till oil starts to separate at the sides and the juices dried up.
    
14. Now pour the curd mixture. Mix well.
15. Again it will release a lot of water. Continue cooking and pour ½ cup water when the mixture again becomes dry.
16. Cover and cook till the rice is boiled properly.
17. Add Ghee and mix it well. This will enhance the aroma of the preparation. Sauté for one minute and switch off the burner.
    
18. Now the dish is ready. The final dish should look moist but with no extra juice. Garnish with a green chili or as per your choice.

That’s all folks. Serve hot with white rice and enjoy your meal.

As a note always add less salt while cooking bottle gourd because finally this vegetable reduces a lot after cooking. 

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