Bottle gourd curry step-by-step recipe with video and photos.
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About this recipe
Easy and delicious lauki sabzi is a vegan curry made with bottle gourd (lauki) and chana dal (split Bengal gram). Also called ghiya sabzi or dudhi sabzi, this easy bottle gourd curry is made in a simple onion-tomato masala base and uses some basic spices. Made in the Instant Pot, this lauki curry is ready in under 30 minutes once the chana dal is soaked.
This hearty and healthy North Indian-style curry can be paired with roti or jeera rice. It also tastes good with red rice. You can also enjoy this healthy dish on its own for a grain-free meal. This curry is perfect for weekday meals and lunchboxes.
This wholesome dish is balanced with flavors and is a perfect home-style curry full of nutrition. Bottle gourd is rich in iron, vitamins, and dietary fiber. It also helps in blood sugar control, weight loss, and digestion - to name a few. Chana dal or Bengal gram is a great non-meat source of protein for vegetarians and vegans. It is also high in fiber and has a very low glycemic index.
Read on for ingredients, step-by-step instructions, and useful tips to make this nutritious vegan curry that is also a great source of plant-based protein. Also, click here to see how to make bottle gourd dal in Instant Pot.
Ingredients
Bottle gourd: Use a fresh and tender bottle gourd that has light green skin.
Chana Dal: Chana dal or split Bengal gram is soaked and used here.
Spices: The powdered spices I use are coriander powder, turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala. The whole spices used are cumin seeds and bay leaves.
Onion and tomatoes: These form the base of the curry.
Ginger, garlic, and green chili: Ginger and garlic add a great flavor. Adjust the amount of green chili as per your preference.
Step-by-step instructions
Heat oil and add the cumin seeds and bay leaf. Add onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili (step 1).
Saute for 3-4 minutes, until the onions soften and turn translucent (step 2).
Add tomatoes, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy (steps 3,4).
Add the soaked chana dal and bottle gourd. Add one cup of water. Mix well and deglaze the pot (steps 5,6).
Secure the IP lid and set it to pressure cook mode for 6 minutes (step 7).
Do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release. Add garam masala, cilantro, and lemon juice (step 8).
Mix well and serve with roti or rice.
Useful tips
Wash the chana dal thoroughly before soaking it. Soak chana dal for an hour and drain the water before using it. If we skip soaking the dal, it may take longer to cook.
This is an optional step but to add some thickness to the curry, you can lightly mash some of the chana dal after pressure cooking.
You can also make this dish with moong dal (yellow lentil) instead of chana dal. You can also replace the bottle gourd with any other squash or even zucchini. Note that the cooking time will vary depending on the type of squash.
I prefer to make this dish slightly spicy; however, you may adjust the amount of chili as per your taste preference.
Also, try this easy and delicious South Indian-style chayote squash curry.
Chana dal is very versatile and can be used to make desserts too. Click here to see how to make chana dal payasam in Instant Pot.
FAQs
It can be paired with roti or jeera rice. It also tastes good with red rice. You can also enjoy this healthy dish on its own for a grain-free meal.
Lauki chana dal sabzi stays fresh in the refrigerator for three to four days. It can also be frozen and stays good for up to three months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and heat it well before serving. Make sure the dish is completely cooled before storing, and store it immediately after it is cooled.
Bonus
This lauki sabzi is:
- vegan and gluten-free
- very easy to make and suitable for beginners
- tastes great just by itself and is very filling as a grain-free meal
Recipe card
Bottle Gourd Curry / Lauki Chana Dal Sabzi
Ingredients
- 1 large bottle gourd (approximately 5 cups)
- 1 cup chana dal
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1-2 green chili finely chopped (or as per taste)
- 2 medium tomato chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves
- ½ lemon or lime
- 1½ cups water
Instructions
Prep:
- Wash the chana dal thorughly and soak in water for 1 hour.
- Wash and peel the bottle gourd. Cut it into small cubes.
- Finely chop onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, and tomatoes seperately.
Making the curry:
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and add oil.
- Once it heats, add the cumin seeds and bay leaf. Saute for a few seconds.
- Add onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili.
- Saute for 3-4 minutes, until the onions soften and turn translucent.
- Add tomatoes, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt. Mix well.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy.
- Add the soaked chana dal and bottle gourd.
- Add 1½ cups of water. Mix well and deglaze the pot.
- Secure the IP lid and set it to pressure cook mode for 6 minutes.
- Do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Add garam masala, cilantro, and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Serve hot with roti or rice.
Gen says
I substituted summer squash here and this came out fantastic - thank you for a beautiful, tasty recipe!
Jennifer says
I love this curry, and making it in the IP was so easy! There's crazy good flavor in this recipe - easy to make, too!
Emily says
My local vegetable stand had bottle gourd and I picked some up to try this recipe. Wow this veg curry was wonderful! I love all of the spices
Claire says
We are trying to do #MeatlessMonday, we tried it on Monday and it was totally delicious. We served it with rice and it was so comforting and warming.
just delicious!
Kris says
Wow, was this tasty! The spices were perfect. Will definitely make again soon! 🙂