Simple Bottle Gourd Curry/ Lauki Ki Sabzi

Call it lauki or bottle gourd - in gujju we go by the name of "dudhi", it's a staple veggie cooked regularly at my Mom's place. Papa favor's to drink lauki juice after his daily morning brisk walk as bottle gourd has low fat and cholesterol level. Growing up in a health conscious family puts a lot of impact in my food intake, I remember a complex set of rules and regulations about eating food from my childhood, we were always instructed to drink boil water & eventually filtered water for this purpose. When we ate out we always bought mineral water, especially at casual and street like food places we weren't allowed to eat salads and fruit chat, maybe because those stuff were likely to be washed with running tap water. We were allowed to gobble down only at trusted places, these set of rules were superior and meant to be followed so that we could protect ourselves from various diseases. I tried to restrict myself from all this food hygiene habits, but during my teenage I tried to drink juices and other yummy street food without letting my parents finding out. But due to my sensitive health issues, I was always instructed to eat simple and dull food with a mere suggestion of spice. 

I always disliked Lauki juice or spinach soup in the mornings so mamma always experimented with these kind of boring vegetable's and always mastered in transforming the recipe that din't even look good but tasted great as well . Lauki is an absolute must have valuable veggie during in summers due to its maximum water content. As we tend to sweat a lot during our workout or day-to-day activities so this green veggie will definitely help our body to cool down.

Today, I will be sharing with you the quick and easy recipe with all the simple ingredients available in your kitchen. One tip mama always gave me is that before you cook bottle gourd or egg plant,  you should always slice a little piece and taste it, if it is bitter in taste then avoid to cook otherwise your lauki juice or any other curry recipe can be a waste due to its bitter taste. Try this nutritive vegetable recipe and share your comments with us!

Simple Bottle Gourd Curry/ Lauki Ki Sabzi 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients:
1 cup Lauki or Bottle gourd
1/2 cup whisk, yogurt
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 medium size, finely chopped onion
2 large size, roughly chopped tomato 
1 tablespoon garlic paste
3 tablespoons red chili powder or lal mirch
1 teaspoon turmeric powder or haldi
1 tablespoon coriander powder or dhania powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder or zeera powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds or rai
Salt to taste
1-2 cup water

 Method:

• Wash bottle gourd and peel its skin, chop it into medium size pieces like we normally dice potatoes.
• In a pan, heat cooking oil under a medium flame, add half teaspoon of mustard seeds or rai and let them pop for a few seconds.
• Add chopped onions and saute until they turn transparent. Now, immediately add chopped tomatoes and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. You can also add tomato puree instead of chopped tomatoes.
• Add garlic paste, 3 tablespoons of red chili powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder and 1 tablespoon cumin powder. Let the mixture cook until the oil separates from the sides.
• Add half cup yogurt and chopped lauki or bottle gourd, allow it to cook for a minute or two and mix properly. Add 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Cover the pan and stir occasionally. You can also add chopped potatoes along with chopped lauki. Let it cook on a medium flame for about 10 minutes.
• Adjust the seasoning and salt. Initially, add 1 tablespoon of red chili powder if you do not prefer too much of heat in your food.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro or coriander leaves and Serve hot with steam rice and buttermilk!