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    Home » Recipes » Dal

    Lauki Chana Dal

    Published: Jan 3, 2016 · Modified: Dec 19, 2022 by Famidha Ashraf with Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This Lauki Chana Dal is a simple North-Indian-style vegetarian curry. We use Bottle gourd and bengal gram cooked with tomato and spices. Though I have used a pressure cooker it is okay to use a sauce pot or Instant pot. Serve this simple and healthy dal with rice or paratha.

    bottle gourd chickpea lentil curry
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to store lauki?
    • How to make it?
    • FAQ
    • Recipes using Chana Dal
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Lauki Chana Dal | Bottle Gourd and Bengal Gram Lentil Curry
    • 💬 Comments

    With bottle gourd, you can make both savoury and sweet dishes! Lauki Paratha, Lauki Kheer, Lauki yoghurt curry, Lauki koftas, Lauki Chicken, Louki Gosht, etc. I can proudly say that Lauki is to us what Zucchini is to the west.

    Lauki chana dal is a simple humble dal recipe that goes superbly well with roti, onion paratha or a bowl of rice.

    Ingredients

    • ghee: you can use a mix of butter and oil.
    • cumin seeds
    • veggies: bottle gourd, ginger, green chillies, red onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves
    • ground spices: turmeric, red chilli, garam masala, hing and kasuri methi
    • chana dal: wash and soak for at least an hour or overnight to cook quicker and tastier.
    lauki chana dal with rice

    How to store lauki?

    If you are new to this veggie, you can check my Lauki paratha post where I have shared how to use bottle gourd in cooking.

    To store a cut lauki, make sure to cling wrap the cut side and place it in a plastic bag in the fridge. This way, it stays fresh for 4 to 5 days.

    To store peeled and cut lauki then keep them submerged in water in a box and keep refrigerated. This will keep them fresh for at least 3 days.

    In my mother tongue, this dish would be chorakka in kadala parippu.

    How to make it?

    The whole process of making lauki chana dal starts and ends in a pressure cooker or instant pot if you will.

    ghee in pressure cooker pan

    Heat ghee or oil in a pressure cooker on medium flame.

    cumin seeds in hot ghee

    Add cumin and let it crackle for a few seconds. This can easily get burnt if the heat is high.

    frying finely chopped ginger

    Add the finely chopped ginger

    green chillies with ginger

    and green chillies and sauté for a couple of minutes.

    finey chopped red onions

    Add the onions and sauté till they become translucent.

    ground spices

    Stir in all the ground spice powders and fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

    ripe tomatoes chopped chunky

    Add the tomatoes and sauté till the tomatoes soften and the oil start releasing from the onion-tomato masala.

    soaked chana dal

    Dump the soaked chana dal...

    chopped bottle gourd lauki

    ...the chopped bottle gourd, salt and water and stir.

    pressure cooking

    Cover with the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle on a high flame reduce the flame to medium and cook for two to three more whistles. Do not open until the pressure releases on its own.

    fresh coriander and garam masala to finish off

    Add the chopped coriander leaves and crushed kasoori methi and a sprinkle of garam masala.

    serve lauki chana dal with roti and rice

    Serve lauki dal hot with any Indian flatbreads or rice.

    FAQ

    What is chana dal in English?

    Chana dal is hindi for split chickpeas or chickpea lentils or bengal gram.

    Is Dudhi same as Lauki?

    Yes, Dudhi or doodhi, ghiya, churanga, chorakka are same as Lauki or louki. These are some of the Indian names for the vegetable, Bottle Gourd - which by the way, is also called opo squash or calabash or long melon etc. So many different names for this vegetable which is highly nutritious and versatile!

    What can be made from chana dal?

    Chana dal can be used to make several regional Indian dishes randing from simple dal to dal fry, shami kebabs, tikkis, parippu vada, dal gosht, etc.

    Recipes using Chana Dal

    • a display of sambar powder ingredients
      Sambar Powder
    • Vermicelli upma topped with halved boiled egg
      Semiya Upma | Vermicelli Upma
    lauki chana dal

    📖 Recipe

    lauki chana dal recipe
    Print Recipe

    Lauki Chana Dal | Bottle Gourd and Bengal Gram Lentil Curry

    Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd and Bengal Gram Lentil) is a delicious healthy Indian curry prepared in a pressure cooker and served with rotis or rice!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Soaking Time2 hrs
    Total Time2 hrs 50 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian, North Indian
    Keyword: lauki chana dal recipe
    Servings: 3 people
    Author: Famidha Ashraf

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons ghee
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
    • 3 to 5 green chillies slit
    • 1 medium onion finely chopped
    • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
    • ½ teaspoon garam masala
    • 1 pinch asafoetida hing
    • 2 medium-sized tomatoes finely chopped
    • ½ cup chana dal washed and soaked for at least an hour hour in lukewarm water
    • 350 grams chopped bottle gourd approx 2 cups
    • 1 cup water for pressure cooking
    • Fresh coriander leaves chopped
    • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves, crushed between hands
    • salt to taste

    Instructions

    • Heat ghee in a pressure cooker on medium flame.
    • Add cumin and let it crackle.
    • Add the ginger and green chillies and sauté for a couple of minutes.
    • Add the onions and sauté till they become translucent.
    • Add all the ground spice powders and fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
    • Add the tomatoes and sauté till the tomatoes soften and the oil start releasing from the onion-tomato masala.
    • Add the soaked chana dal, the chopped bottle gourd, salt and water and stir.
    • Cover with the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle on a high flame reduce the flame to medium and cook for two to three more whistles. Do not open until the pressure releases on its own.
    • Open the lid and check its consistency and bring it to desired consistency by simmering to make it thick or adding more water to make it thin.
    • Add the chopped coriander leaves and crushed kasoori methi and a sprinkle of garam masala.
    • Serve lauki dal hot with any Indian flatbreads or rice.

    Video

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Famidha Ashraf. but first chai (@butfirstchaai)

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    I'm Famidha, a chai lover, Indian in UAE, Hooman of two cats, a Malabari who loves Tamil food and the cook cum writer behind But first Chai.

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