Add Preferred SourceBengali-style lau daal or bottle gourd dal is full of flavors and easy to make. Made with petite yellow lentils or moong dal, this lauki dal is absolute comfort food. Some basic spices and the
Why you will love this recipe
- Light and comforting: This dal is light and has a mild flavor, making it a comforting choice for a meal.
- Quick and easy: The use of an
Instant Pot or pressure cooker speeds up the cooking process, allowing you to prepare this dish in no time. - Delicate flavor and texture: Bottle gourd dal, a traditional Indian dish, features bottle gourd, also known as calabash or long melon, adding a subtle, delicate flavor and pleasant texture to the dal.
Ingredients
Bottle gourd: This is the main ingredient in this dish.
Moong dal: I use moong dal (yellow lentils) to make this dish.
Spices: The spices I use here are cumin seeds, dry red chili, bay leaf, ground cumin, and ground turmeric. You can also use panch phoron for the tempering/tadka.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Set the
Step 2: Next, add oil, followed by cumin seeds, bay leaves, and dry red chili. Add the ginger, green chili, ground cumin, and ground turmeric. Saute for one minute on low (images 2 and 3).
Step 3: Add the peeled and chopped bottle gourd (image 4).
Step 4: Wash the dry roasted dal and add it along with tomatoes, salt, and sugar (image 5).
Step 5: Add 5 cups of water and mix well. Set the
Step 6: Do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release. Open the lid. Add the lemon juice and cilantro (image 8).
Expert tips to make bottle gourd dal
Moong dal can be replaced with toor dal or chana dal in this recipe. In that case, pressure cook for 6 minutes instead of 5 minutes.
You can make this dal on a stovetop pressure cooker. Follow this recipe and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
What to serve with lauki dal
Rice: Serve it over steamed basmati rice or sona masoori rice for a classic combination. The fluffy rice acts as a neutral base, allowing the flavors of the dal to shine. This dal also pairs very well with jeera rice and saffron rice.
Sides: Add a side of Bombay potatoes, pan-fried chayote squash, or kurkuri bhindi to make it a complete meal.
Recipe FAQs
Bottle gourd, calabash, or long melon is commonly available in Asian and Indian grocery stores. While the fresh ones work best for this dish, you can also use the frozen bottle gourd, which is available in Indian grocery stores.
When selecting a fresh, long melon, make sure the skin is smooth with no spots or blemishes. The skin of a good bottle gourd will be pale or light green. The seeds of the bottle gourd are edible and are tender if the bottle gourd is tender. As the bottle gourd matures, the seeds become hard and lose their taste.
Lauki dal can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat the dal in a saucepan over low-medium heat. The dal thickens when stored, so add a small amount of water when reheating.
Yes. This dal can be frozen for up to three months. To reheat, transfer the dal to a saucepan with a small amount of water and simmer.
If you tried this Bottle Gourd Dal / Lauki Dal Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ? star rating and let me know how it went in the ? comments below.
Recipe card
Bottle Gourd Dal / Bengali Lau Daal (Instant Pot)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium bottle gourd cut into cubes
- 1½ cup moong dal
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 dry red chilli
- 1-2 green chili finely chopped (or as per taste)
- ½ inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 1-1½ teaspoon salt (adjust as per taste)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon cilantro
- ½ lemon or lime
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot on saute mode. Add moong dal and dry roast it for 2 minutes. Take the roasted dal out of the pot and wash it well.
- Next, add oil to the IP inner pot and let it heat.
- Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, and dry red chili. Saute for a few seconds.
- Add the ginger, green chili, ground cumin, ground turmeric, salt, and sugar. Saute for one minute on low mode (see notes)
- Add the bottle gourd, dal, and tomato. Add 5 cups of water and mix well.
- Secure the IP lid. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook mode on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Open the lid. Add the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve hot with rice.
Andrea says
love that this dal is in the instant pot! so good!