Bottle gourd-Moong dal Kichdi

 

 

Ingredients

2 Cups Bottle gourd chop into small cubes

1/2  Cup Yellow moong dal

2 tbsp Coriander leaves

4 tsp Ghee

1/4  tsp Asafoetida

Green chilies 2-3 as per taste finely chopped

ginger finely chopped 1 tsp 

Water 500 ml or as needed

1 cup raw rice

1/4 tsp turmeric pdr

salt to taste 

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

garlic cloves 3 finely chopped

curry leaves 2-3 sprigs chopped

 

Preparations

Take moong dal and rice in a bowl and wash it at least 2 times then drain the excess water and set aside.

Take 6 cups of water and soak the rice and dal mixture.

Peel the bottle gourd or lauki and chop into small cubes.

Finely chop the garlic and green chili.

In the pressure cooker add ghee and heat it. Add cumin, asafoetida green chili,ginger, garlic and curry leaves.

Add the chopped bottle gourd pieces and sauté for 2–3 minutes.

Add the soaked rice and dal mixture and water about 4 cups to the rice and dal.

Add salt and half the quantity of coriander leaves.

Pressure cook on low to medium heat for 3-4 whistles.

Switch off and cool until the pressure is completely released.

Add the coriander leaves and lightly mash the kichdi with the back of the ladle.

Add 1 teaspoon ghee and serve hot with pickle and papad and some butter milk.

 

 

 

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Bootle gourd/ doodhi ( ghia) halwa

INGREDIENTS
doodhi 1 kg
sugar 1/4 kg
milk 1 litre
ghee 3-4 tbsp
cardamom pdr. 1/2 tsp
nuts 1 tbsp

METHOD
grate doodhi, squeeze out excess juice
heat 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy kadai or non-stick pan, add the grated doodhi, fry till soft
add milk, keep stirring from time to time on low flame till the mixture becomes thick
add sugar, mix well, keep stirring till it leaves the sides of the pan, add 2 tbsp ghee, mix along with cardamom pdr. and nuts well for another 2 minutes
garnish with some nuts and raisins, serve hot / cold

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Bottle Gourd/Ghia Or White Pumpkin halwa

Ingredients 

grated tender ghia/ white pumpkin 2 cups
sugar 1 1/2 cups 
mawa 1 cup 
cardamom pdr. 1/2 tsp 
rose essence few drops 

 Method 
grate the tender pumpkin/ ghia, don't squeeze out the water put in a heavy pan, cook on slow fire, stirring often till soft and all the water is absorbed. add sugar, mix well, simmer till it thickens add mawa,add cardamom, cook for few more minutes, stirring well spread on a greased plate, once it sets, cut into desired shapes. 



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HEALTHY KHEER WITH BOTTLE GOURD OR GHIA AND CUSTARD APPLE

INGREDIENTS

ghia grated  1 cup
ghee 2 tbsp
nuts chopped  1 tbsp
nutmeg pdr.  1/4 tsp
milk  2 cups
custard apple mashed  1/2 cup
sugar to taste
cardamom pdr. 1 tsp

in a heavy pan, add ghee, nuts, remove, add ghia, fry well till moisture goes, add milk, mashed custard apple, cook well, stirring often, add sugar, cook till sugar is well dissolved, add the spices, remove serve hot/ cold , garnishing with nuts

ps- you'll need less sugar, sa custard apple is sweet.




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Lauki ki kheer- Bottle Gourd Kheer

INGREDIENTS
1 cup grated bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki)
2 cups low-fat milk
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder

Method
Combine the bottle gourd and milk in a non-stick pan and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes till the bottle gourd is cooked.
Add the sugar and cook till the sugar dissolves.
Add the cardamom powder, mix well and refrigerate.
Serve chilled, garnished with some fried nuts & raisins.

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BOTTLE GOURD KHEER/ DOODHI KHEER ( PAYASAM)

INGREDIENTS

 lauki/ghia/doodhi /bottle gourd   1 cup  grated

sugar   1  cup 

 milk   1 litre

cardamom powder   1/2 tsp

dry fruits     2 tbsp, roast in 1 tsp ghee

METHOD

Boil milk in a heavy pan.

Cook on  low flame and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes.

Add grated lauki and cook till the milk thickens.

Add the sugar and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add the dry fruits and the cardamom powder and serve.

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BOTTLE GOURD WITH CHANA DAL

Ingredients

bottle gourd, peeled, cut in cubes and steamed   1 cup

split Bengal gram, cooked until soft and tender   ½ cup ( pressure cook the dal to be soft)

cumin seeds   1 tsp

ginger   1 tsp grated

tomatoes   ¼ cup freshly puréed

coriander powder   1 tsp

turmeric powder  ¼ tsp

red chilli powder  ½ tsp  or to taste

freshly chopped coriander leaves   2 tbsp

oil   1 tsp

salt to taste

METHOD

Heat oil in a sauce pan on medium heat; add the cumin seeds, ginger, and sauté until they start to crackle. Stir in the tomato purée, turmeric powder,  coriander powder, red chilli powder and stir for a couple of minutes. Finally stir in the steamed bottle gourd, cooked gram and salt.

Allow the mixture to come to boil and then lower the heat. Stir in a ¼ cup of water and simmer the lentils and vegetable for about 10 minutes until cooked and combined well with the spices and gravy. Adjust the consistency of the dish by adding more or less water to suit your taste. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot. This goes well with rice, roti.

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Bottle Gourd- health benefits

it's other names – calabash, opo squash, lauki, or long melon

Health Benefits

Cooked bottle gourd, or lauki, is a calming, soothing food that acts as a diuretic. Extremely low in calories and high in dietary fiber, cooked bottle gourd makes an excellent food for people who are dieting. After eating a healthy portion of cooked lauki, your stomach is full and your whole body feels relaxed; and if you're dieting, you will appreciate those feelings. You can enjoy large portions of cooked bottle gourd without worrying about counting calories.

You'll notice I keep saying “cooked bottle gourd.” That's because you don’t want to eat the vegetable raw as it could harm the stomach and digestive system, causing ulcers, or worse. Like other members of the gourd family, the bottle gourd contains the tetracyclic triterpenoid cucurbitacins compound, which is responsible for the bitter taste. This bitter taste should let people know that it is poisonous, but raw 'calabash juice' has been touted by weight loss hucksters as a miracle drink. Just be aware that drinking raw, uncooked 'calabash juice' or eating raw bottle gourd is dangerous to your health. Once cooked, the bottle gourd becomes harmless and quite tasty, offering more than enough health benefits to keep anyone on a weight loss program happy.

How to eat

The calabash, as a vegetable, is frequently used in Asian cuisine as either a stir-fry or in a soup. In Burma, young leaves are also boiled and eaten with spicy hot fermented fish sauce called Nga peet. And in Central America seeds of the bottle gourd are toasted and ground with other ingredients (including rice, cinnamon, and allspice) to make horchata, a popular drink of the region.

In other cultures, this gourd is cooked just like a summer squash and enjoyed with a variety of toppings including butter and brown sugar. Often connected with Indian cooking and spices, the bottle gourd is very typically surrounded with warm, spicy aromas.

A delicious sweet is also made from bottle gourd, see in this blog.

BOTTLE GOURD ( LAUKI//GHIA) BARFI

INGREDIENTS

2 cups lauki/ bottle gourd/ ghia (grated)

1 ltr milk

1 cup khoya/ mawa

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp cardamom powder

cashew nuts for garnishing

METHOD

Boil the milk in a pan. Add the grated Lauki in boiling milk. 

When half of the milk is left, add khoya, sugar 

When the froth starts leaving the side 

of vessel, add cardamom powder, mix well.

Transfer it in an pre-greased  tray and cut it into pieces 

after an hour. 

Garnish with cashew nuts. 

Lauki ki Barfi is ready to serve.

Stuffed Bottle gourd

Ingredients

 Bottle gourd 1 kg peeled & cut lengthwise

Lime 1

Salt 1 tsp

  

Grind to a paste

Mustard ½ tsp

Turmeric pdr ½ tsp

Garlic cloves 5

For the filling

Chickpeas/ kabuli chana boiled & crushes

Cottage cheese/ Paneer grated 1 cup

Boiled mixed vegetables 1 cup

Tomato puree 1 cup

Onions 2 grated

Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp

Turmeric pdr ½ tsp

Coriander pdr 2 tsp

Cumin pdr ½ tsp

Salt & chili pdr to taste

Oil/ butter for basting

For garnish

Carrots/radish/beetroot/paneer grated

Onion/tomatoes finely sliced

Cabbage/lettuce finely shredded

Green chilies slit

Method

1)      mix salt, lime juice & the ground masala. Apply to gourd after cutting it into 2 halves & removing the centre pulp. Marinate for 1 hour.

2)      Steam the gourd for 5 minutes & place on a greased tray.

To prepare the filling

Heat 2 tbsp of oil. Fry onion, garlic ginger paste for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato puree & the powdered masalas.

Keep stirring till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Add the boiled vegetables & cook for 5 minutes.

Divide chanas & paneer into 2 equal parts.

Evenly presss the chanas inside the gourd followed by paneer.

Now in one half of the gourd spread the mixed vegetables. Cover with the second half.

Secure with tooth picks.

With a sharp knife make slits on the top.

Dot with butter

Bake/grill till golden brown.

Garnish with the given salad.

Serve hot with naan,

Bottle gourd/ ghia, peas & potato curry

Bottle gourd/ ghia, peas & potato curry

Bottle gourd almost ½ kg peel & chop fine

Peas ½ cup

Potatoes 1 big cooked & chopped( as I always boil some potatoes & keep in the fridge it comes handy to use whenever I need it) potatoes can be boiled & kept with the skin in the fridge for a week to 10 days if you store in the top tray.

Onion 1 small chopped fine

Salt & chili pdr to taste

Oil 2 tsp

Cumin or jeera 1 tsp

Method

1)      in a microwave safe dish, I first cooked & kept bottle gourd & peas.

2)      Heat oil, add cumin, keep for 90 seconds.

3)      Add onion, wee bit of salt & micro high for 2 minutes.

4)      In case you don’t have boiled potatoes, then you may cut & add potatoes, gourd & peas at this stage, add salt, sprinkle little water, cover & micro high for 3 minutes.

5)      Stir well, keep for another 3-4 minutes till the veges ( if you’re cooking now) are almost done. In case you use cooked veges, then sauté potatoes with onion adding chili pdr to taste for 2 minutes.

6)      Then add cooked gourd & peas along with salt to taste, mix well & micro high for 2-3 minutes.

This can be done in the same way on the gas too. But as you know we’re going to shift shortly, so want to save my last gas cylinder for another month & hence cook more in the microwave, it not only saves me gas, but also time, as I cook something else in the gas in the mean time.

Tips- bottle gourd is supposed to be very good for diabetic patients. This combo tastes good, as my hubby also finished the vege I had sent to his office or else he’d have got some back !

Bottle gourd 1 cup, grind & drink its juice early morning on empty stomach, when taken regularly, helps to get rid of breathlessness !

Bottle gourd stuffed kajoris

Ingredients for stuffing

Ghee 3 tbsp

Grated bottle gourd 1 cup

Milk 1 cup

Sugar 4 tbsp

Mawa  grated 4 tbsp

Grated coconut ½ cup

Nuts & raisins 2 tbsp

For dough

Maida 1 cup

Ghee 2 tbsp

Salt a pinch

Water to knead

Oil to fry

Method

1)      in a heavy pan, heat ghee, add grated gourd, sauté for 3 minutes

2)      add milk, cook on slow fire till the milk is absorbed.

3)      Add sugar, mawa, coconut, cook till dry, add nuts, mix well & remove after a minute.

4)      Roll out dough like small thick puris, put the stuffing, cover & from all sides, shape into small rounds, slightly flatten with your palm & deep fry on medium flame to a golden color.

ps- if you don't want to fry, then simply make the stuffing & eat it plain !

White kidney beans & bottle gourd gravy

White kidney beans/ lobia 2 tbsp         bottle gourd/ghia/ white pumpkin peeled & cut 1/2 kg
pressure cook both together for 4-5 whistles with enough water to cover it. Grind 2 tbsp coconut with 2 red chilies, 2 green chilies to a smooth paste. add the ground paste with salt to well cooked beans & gourd, boil well for 4-5 minutes, season in a tsp of oil , 1 tsp cumin & hing, with few curry leaves. Remove, garnish with fresh coriander leaves chopped fine.

ps- this goes well with roti, rice.

Healthy fast food ! ( dal with vege)

 This is the seasoning roasted with coconut, below the final outcome !

I , rather my son, calls it fast food, as it can be cooked real fast, if you use the pressure cooker. As normally, we cook rice, & dal in a cooker, so for this, dal- it can me moong dal/ chana dal/ masoor dal/ arhar/tuvar dal you can use 1 small cup of any dal.

Ingredients  & method

Dal 1 small cup or more as needed        vege- pumpkin,, bottle gourd ( ghia), cabbage/ white pumpkin can be used. You may use ¼ kg of the vegetable or more as per your need. Cook both dal & vege together along with ½ tsp turmeric pdr. For 3 whistles in the cooker.  For tadka/ seasoning- 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp udal dal, 1 tsp cumin/jeera, once these turn golden, , some curry leaves , add 2 tbsp grated coconut / dry coconut pdr, fry well till a nice aroma comes, add 1-2 tsp sambar pdr, mix well, add 2 tsp atta/ wheat flr, roast a minute, add this to the cooked dal mixture, add salt to taste, let it boil well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Ps- this goes well with rice, roti.

Bread Koftas in bottle gourd gravy

Bread Koftas in bottle gourd gravy

Ingredients for koftas

Bread slices 6 cut the edges          ½- 1 cup thick curds           salt ½ tsp         green chilies 3-4 finely cut

Fresh coriander leaves 2 tbsp        maida/ refined flour 2-3 tbsp to bind

Method 

Pour ½ cup curds over bread slices, mash well with green chilies, coriander leaves, salt, add 2 tbsp maida.

If you can make perfect round balls, then the mixture is fine. But if it is sticky then add little more maida to bind well, if it is too dry add a little more curds. Once you make perfect round balls, heat oil, fry the koftas golden brown, remove. If the oil is hot enough, the koftas will not break. Keep it aside.

Ingredients for gravy

Bottle gourd ½ kg grated & cooked in little water & ground to a paste      onion paste 1 cup

Tomato paste 1 cup       chili pdr. 1 tsp        turmeric pdr ½ tsp      garam masala 1.2 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp         jeera/cumin 1 tsp           curds 1 tbsp    ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp

salt to taste      fresh coriander leaves 2 tbsp

Method

Heat oil, add jeera, once it crackles, add onion paste fry well. Then add ginger-garlic paste, fry well for 1 minute, then add tomato paste fry well adding the dry powders, except salt, fry well till oil comes out on low flame. Then add curds fry well for 2 minutes, add little water & bottle gourd paste, coriander leaves little, salt boil well. Just before serving add koftas & garnish with remaining coriander leaves

Bottle gourd/ ghia vege- Microwave

wash, peel & cut bottle gourd/ ghia into small pieces, put in a microwave dish along with some peas, optional, wee bit of water, cover & cook for 5 minutes. Check if it is soft, or cook for another 2-3 minutes, add salt, turmeric pdr. 1/2 tsp, curry powder to taste along with 1 tsp of oil & toasted jeera/ cumin seeds ( opt.) Mix well & micro high for 2 minutes. This goes well with roti, rice & sambar/ rasam.