Lau Shukto (Bottlegourd / Lauki Curry - Bong Style)

 

           Shukto is a traditional Bengali cuisine and is considered as a delicacy. This is typically a mixed vegetable curry which has a fair amount of bitter gourd in it. It is had at the beginning of a meal as it is believed that the bitterness helps in purifying the blood. There are many versions to it. 

          It is sometimes cooked in a simple way or sometimes in a rich gravy. So check out my version of Shukto prepared with bottle gourd and minus the bitter gourd. You may add if you wish, but it is purely optional. Bori (dried lentil dumplings) is also added. However, I substituted it with few urad dal pakoras. Enjoy this regional dish with hot steamed rice. So check out a quick step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

1 medium bottle gourd

1/4 cup split balck gram (urad dal) soaked for 30 minutes

3 tbsp. mustard oil

1-2 bay leaves

1-2 dry red chilies

1 tsp. mustard seeds 

1 tsp. salt or to taste

2 green chilies, slit

1 tsp. ginger, grated

1 cup milk 

1 tsp. whole wheat flour / plain flour

1 tsp. ghee

1 tsp. panch phoron powder

               Peel the bottle gourd and slice them. Soak in water to prevent discoloration. 

              Mix the wheat flour with the milk and keep aside.

              Dry roast the 1 tsp. panch phoron and allow it to cool down. Then grind into a fine powder and keep aside. 

             Grind the soaked urad dal with a pinch of salt and some water into a smooth paste. Whisk this batter well and keep aside. 

             Heat oil in a pan and add small dumplings of the batter and fry them till golden in color. Drain and keep aside. 

             Temper the same oil with mustard seeds, dry red chilies and bay leaves. Sauté till it stops spluttering.

             Then add the sliced bottle gourd, green chilies and salt. Cover and cook till the moisture is almost absorbed and the veggie is tender.

             Then add the fried pakoras, grated ginger and the milk. Mix well and cook, covered on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes

            When done, add ghee and panch phoron powder. Give it a stir and switch off the flame. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Peel the bottle gourd and slice them. Soak in water to prevent discoloration.

Grind the soaked urad dal with a pinch of salt & some water into a smooth paste. Whisk this batter well and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan & add small dumplings of the batter & fry them till golden in color. Drain & keep aside. 

Temper the same oil with mustard seeds, dry red chilies & bay leaves. Sauté till it stops spluttering.

Add the sliced bottle gourd, green chilies & salt. Cover & cook till the moisture is all absorbed & the veggie is tender.

                    Then add the fried pakoras, grated ginger 

and the milk. Mix well & cook, covered, on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

When done, add ghee & panch phoron powder. Give it a stir & switch off the flame. 

                    Serve with hot steamed rice.

Lau Muger Dal Torkari (Lauki / Bottlegourd - Green Gram Curry - Bong Style)

 

          Here is a simple and a delicious side dish made from Bottle gourd (Lauki) and split moong dal in a Bengali style. In this Bengali version of mine, I added few bori (dried lentil dumplings). However, prawns and fish head can be added for the non. veg. version. I usually prepare this dish when I want something simple, yet healthy. 

                  Light on the stomach no doubt, it requires minimum of spices and best had with chapattis. It can also be enjoyed as a side dish with rice too. The use of mustard oil gives it an authentic touch and flavor. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it. 

               Bottle gourd is considered light on the stomach and instead of preparing on its own, addition of a little bit of fried moong dal and fried bori enhances the flavor and also gives a slight crunch to the dish. I also love adding lots of chopped coriander leaves and a tsp. of ghee to the end product. 

• 1 medium size lau (bottle gourd / Lauki), finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp. split moong dal (split green gram), dry roasted & soaked for an hour
• 2 tbsp. mustard oil
• 10-12 bori / fried lentil dumplings / mangodi
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 green chilies, slit
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. roasted cumin powder 
• handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. ghee 

 

          Heat oil in a pan and fry the bori till golden in colour. Drain and keep aside. 

          Temper the same oil with cumin seeds and bay leaves. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Now add the bottle gourd, salt to taste, turmeric powder, roasted & soaked moong dal and green chilies. 

          Cover and cook on a low flame till the bottle gourd turns soft and the moisture dries up. 

          Add roasted cumin powder, fried bori and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook till done.

          Switch off the flame. Add coriander leaves and ghee. Mix well and serve with hot steamed rice, paratha or chapattis. 

                              Heat oil & fry the bori till golden in colour. Drain & keep aside. 

                 Temper the same oil with cumin seeds & bay leaves. Sauté for a few seconds. 

                   Add bottle gourd, salt, turmeric powder, soaked moong dal & green chilies.    

                  Cover & cook on a low flame till the lauki turns soft & moisture dries up. 

                                 Add roasted cumin powder, fried bori ......

& 1/2 cup water. Cover & cook till it is done. 

                             Switch off the flame. Add coriander leaves & ghee. Mix well.

                                  Serve with hot steamed rice, paratha or chapattis. 

Aloo diye Lau er Dalna (Potato & Bottle Gourd Curry - Bong Style)

 

          This is a simple Bong style dish of Bottle gourd cooked with potatoes. For some crunch, you can add few dried lentil dumplings (bori / mangodi). It is a dry dish which can be served with any Indian flat bread, especially chapatti or paratha for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It can also be relished ad a side dish with dal-chawal. Another good option is to carry it for a lunch box or a picnic meal. Choice is yours. 

• 1 potato, cubed
• 1 small Lau (bottle gourd), cubed, slightly steamed
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 whole red chili
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp. ghee 
• coriander leaves to garnish

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and sauté the potatoes till light brown. Keep aside. 

           Heat remaining oil and temper with bay leaves, whole red chili and cumin seeds. Sauté for a few seconds.

           Add the onion and stir fry till light brown. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and all the dry spices mixed with some water. Sauté till the oil separates.
         

          Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to cook till it is well mashed. Then add the cubed bottle gourd and fry for 2-3 minutes on a low flame.

           Add the sautéed potato, green chilies and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook till the veggies turn soft. 

           When done, add ghee and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve as a side dish with rice, chapatti or paratha. 

Lau Chingri Chechki (Bottle Gourd Curry with Prawns)

          This is a simple and a quick Bengali homemade style bottle gourd stir fry cooked along with some prawns. It is a dry recipe where I gave a tempering of kalonji (nigella seeds), fresh chilies and asafoetida in mustard oil. For a veg. version, vadi / dried lentil dumplings can be added.

          The garnishing of some raw mustard oil to the end product gives a nice mustardy flavour and an authentic touch to this dish. I also added some fresh coriander leaves, but it is purely optional. It is best relished with only and only hot steamed rice. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

          Lau in the Bengali lingo is bottle gourd and Chingri is know as prawn. So this recipe is a jugalbandi of both these two key ingredients. 

          This is a very easy and a great comfort food that is especially relished for lunch with hot steamed rice. But there is no harm in having it with roti /paratha. So enjoy !!!

• 1 medium size bottle gourd, grated
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 10-12 prawns, cleaned & tail intact
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds
• 2-3 green chilies, slit 
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped

          

          Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry the prawns slightly till it changes colour. Drain and keep aside. 

          Temper the same oil with nigella seeds, green chilies and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Add all the dry spices, followed by the grated bottle gourd. Mix well and stir fry till well cooked and dry.

          When done, switch off the flame. Add the coriander leaves, fried prawns and remaining raw mustard oil. Give it a stir and keep it covered for 5 minutes. Serve, preferably with hot steamed rice.

                          Heat 2 tbsp. oil & fry prawns slightly till it changes colour. Drain 
                          and keep aside. 

                  Temper same oil with nigella seeds, green chilies & asafoetida. Sauté for
                  a few seconds.

                                  Add all dry spices, 

                   followed by grated bottle gourd. Mix well & sauté till well cooked & dry.

                    When done, switch off the flame. Add coriander leaves, fried prawns &                                              remaining raw mustard oil. 

                                 Give it a stir & keep it covered for 5 minutes.

                                Serve, preferably with hot steamed rice.

Lau Shorshe Chingri (Bottle Gourd Curry cooked with Prawns & Mustard Paste - Bengali Style)

          This is a traditional Bengali homemade style Bottle gourd curry cooked with prawns and some mustard paste. This combo is an absolute delicacy. Any Bengali will vouch for it. Bori or dried lentil dumplings can be substituted for prawns for a veg. version. 

          This recipe has minimum of spices and can be dished out in a jiffy. It especially goes very well with hot steamed rice. But one can always try it with chapati too. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this simple fare.

• 1 medium size bottle gourd, chopped
• 8-10 large prawns
• 2 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds (kalonji)
• 2 green chilies, slit
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp. mustard paste / kasundi
• 1-2 tsp. raw mustard oil
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Marinate the prawns with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and temper with nigella seeds. 

           Sauté for a few seconds and then add the marinated prawns. Stir fry till they change colour. 

           Now add the chopped bottle gourd, salt, turmeric powder and green chilies. Cover and cook on a low flame till done. If required, sprinkle some water at intervals. 

          When the bottle gourd is cooked and is soft, add the mustard paste, mustard oil and coriander leaves. Mix everything well and simmer for a minute.

     Let it remain covered for 2-3 minutes and then serve with hot steamed rice or chapatis.

                        Heat oil & temper with nigella seeds. Sauté few seconds & then add
                        marinated prawns. Stir fry till they change colour. 

                   Add chopped bottle gourd, salt, turmeric powder & green chilies. Cover
                   & cook on low flame till done. If needed, sprinkle some water at intervals. 

                                When bottle gourd is cooked & is soft, add mustard paste, 

                                mustard oil and 

                               coriander leaves. Mix well & simmer for a minute.

                               Let it remain covered for 2-3 minutes.

                                Serve with hot steamed rice or chapatis.