Prepare Bottle Gourd Mixture
First, rinse, peel and grate the bottle gourd (lauki) in a bowl or parat/large plate. Use ¾ cup grated bottle gourd. You can also add about 1 cup grated bottle gourd.
IMPORTANT: Before your grate, check the taste of the bottle gourd by eating a small tiny piece. If it is bitter, discard it. Bitter tasting bottle gourd is toxic and is harmful to the body and should never be consumed.
Add the following list of herbs and spices to the grated bottle gourd:
1 tsp ginger-green chili paste (or crush 1 small green chili and 1 inch peeled ginger in a mortar-pestle)
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¾ tsp salt OR salt to taste
Mix the ingredients very well with the grated bottle gourd. Set aside, covered, for 5 minutes. The bottle gourd will release its juices.
Next, add 1½ cups whole wheat flour and 3 tbsp gram flour (besan).
If you don’t have gram flour, skip. Just make the thepla with whole wheat flour.
You can also add 1 cup whole wheat flour and ¼ cup bajra flour (pearl millet flour), ¼ cup jowar flour (sorghum flour) and 3 tablespoons gram flour.
Mix everything, very well with a spoon.
Add 2 tablespoons curd (yogurt) and 1 tablespoon oil.
If making a vegan or dairy free version, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons water, instead of curd.
Mix and begin to knead into a dough. Add more curd, if required, while kneading.
Make a smooth soft dough.
Make medium-sized balls from the dough
On a dusted rolling board, take each ball and begin to roll it.
Sprinkle some more whole wheat flour, if required, while rolling.
Place the rolled thepla on a hot tawa or a flat skillet or a griddle. Keep the heat to medium or medium-high.
When you see air pockets, flip the flatbread using a spatula.
When thepla is half-cooked smear some oil all over.
Flip again and spread some oil on the other side too, in case you want to take the theplas for lunch then smear more oil for it to remain soft for a longer time,
Flip once or twice till the thepla is well cooked. Make all theplas in batches one by one this way. You can add less oil, if you prefer, while roasting the thepla.
Place the roasted thepla in a roti basket or a hot-pot/casserole so that they stay warm and soft.
Serve Lauki Thepla hot, warm or at room
temperature with a mango pickle or curd or mango chunda or mango chutney
Tips
Quality of bottle gourd: Fresh, tender, juicy bottle gourd is the best in this recipe. If your bottle gourd has a sour or bitter taste, trash it. A bitter tasting bottle gourd is unsafe to consume and can lead to severe health complications.
Choice of flours: Gram flour (besan) can be skipped, if you do not have it. Simply add 1¾ cups of whole wheat flour, if you decide to omit gram flour. To make these flatbreads healthier and fiber-rich, make them with some millet flours like sorghum or pearl millet flour.
Use of curd (yogurt): Use fresh yogurt and not the sour one. If you do not have curd, then replace it with buttermilk or water, adding as required to make a soft dough.
Spices and seasonings: You can make these theplas spicy, if you prefer. Increase the quantity of green chilies and red chili powder