Bottlegourd Sabji

Bottlegourd / Lauki is a vegetable that has high water content and it is not prefered by many people for making recipes but its such a succulent and healthy vegetable. Bottlegourd sabji is a one pot sabji that can be easily made with few ingredients.

Ingredients:

Onion – 1

Tomato – 1

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Bottlegourd – 1/2 kg (chopped into cubes)

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Ghee – 1 tsp

Water – 1/2 cup (approx)

Method:

1. In a cooker, heat ghee and add the cumin seeds.
2. Once the flavour arises, add the chopped onion and fry for a minute.
3. Then add the chopped tomato and fry till mushy.
4. Now add the spice powders : Chilli powder and turmeric powder.
5. Fry till the ghee seperates from the mixture.
6. Then add the chopped bottlegourd to the mixture.
7. Pour 1/2 cup of water to the mixture and add salt to taste.
8. Mix in some chopped coriander leaves and close the lid of the cooker.
9. Allow to cook for 5 to 6 whistles in high flame (pour water accordingly so the mixture does not stick to the bottom)
10. Bottlegourd should be soft but not mushy.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti, naan or phulkas.

Note:

• Do not add the onions and tomatoes together in any recipe because we cannot get the individual flavours and the onions stay crunchy during the rest of the cooking. So fry onion for a minute and then add the tomatoes