A scrumptious combination of bottle gourd and chana dal which oozes with the flavors of garlic, ginger, green chilies along with the kick of garam masala is lauki chana dal. It is spicy and moderately tangy. It is a bit tough to associate words such as spicy, tangy with bottle gourd as it is considered to be a slightly boring vegetable. However, this particular recipe is sure to be loved by even those who otherwise hate bottle gourd (lauki) (for instance, me!).
The correct ratio of both the main ingredients i.e. lauki and dal, enough quantity of ginger, garlic, green chilies, etc make a perfect lauki chana dal recipe. I have used my vegetable chopper to chop ginger, garlic, and chili very fine. You can make a paste instead. Apart from these few basic spices have been added along with garam masala powder which is critical for the recipe.
Other simple yet delectable gravies that can be prepared on day to day basis are dahi wale aloo, hare chane ki sabji, etc. The next time when you plan to make gravy wale aloo, don’t miss to try our spicy and tangy dahi wale aloo. View its recipe here. Hare chane ki sabji is a seasonal preparation. However, the same can be prepared using dry hare chane which are easily available in the market. But it is too palatable to be missed. View its recipe here.
Serve this sabji with masala paratha and onion raita for a weekday lunch.
1.Heat 2 tbsp oil.
2.Add 2 inch ginger, 10 garlic cloves and 1 green chili, each finely chopped. Cook till golden brown.
3.Next goes in 1 chopped large onion. Cook till it turns translucent.
4.Spice it up with 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and ¼ tsp turmeric powder and obviously salt to taste. Cook for a minute.
5.Add puree of 1 large tomato. I always have tomato puree in my freezer and I love to use that whenever pureed tomatoes need to be added, it gives a much better texture. Cook till the oil oozes.
6.It is time to add the main ingredients. In goes ½ cup soaked chana dal and 1 and ½ cup peeled and chopped bottle gourd (lauki).
7.Along with that add 1 and ½ cups of water.
8.Pressure cook on high flame for 1 minute. Reduce the flame and cook for 15 minutes. Once the pressure releases, open the cooker. Perfectly cooked sabji!
9.Finish off with a handful of chopped coriander leaves and ½ tsp garam masala powder.
10.The recipe will serve 4 persons. Bon appétit!
PREP TIME 10 minutes + 2 hours soaking time
COOK TIME 20-30 minutes
TOTAL TIME 30-40 minutes + 2 hours passive time
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