Lauki Curry — Bottle gourd in tangy tomato, tempered with south Indian tadka and finished off with whisked yoghurt is best served with steamed rice.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, Kerala, South Indian
Servings: 3people
Author: Famidha Ashraf
INGREDIENTS
For Lauki curry
300gramschopped bottle gourdapprox 2 to 3 cups
3 to 5green chilliesslit
¾teaspoonturmeric powder
1teaspoonred chilli powder
water as required
1large tomatochopped roughly
2cupswhisked full-fat yoghurtroom temperature
Salt to taste
For Tadka
1tablespooncoconut oil
1teaspoonmustard seeds
1teaspoonfinely chopped gingeroptional
1sprig of curry leaves
2dry red chillies
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep the bottle gourd
Trim the ends, peel the skin, cut it into half and then slice vertically into half-inch sticks. Slice and discard the seedy and sponge part. Chop into ½ inch pieces. Wash and keep them submerged in water until needed. You may do this a day ahead but keep them in the water to retain freshness. For this recipe, you will need 2 to 3 cups of chopped bottle gourd which is approx 300gms after chopping.
Cook the veggies
Take a deep saucepot and add the chopped bottle gourd, green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Stir in enough water to cook the bottle gourd.
Cook covered on medium flame until the bottle gourd pieces are translucent and are almost cooked. Do stir in between and add more water if required. This will take anywhere between 20 to 25 minutes. You may do this in a pressure cooker.
Once the water reduces and the bottle gourd is almost cooked, add the chopped tomato. Cover and cook until the tomato chunks turn mushy and all the water is reduced. Do stir occasionally to prevent it from burning. Bring the mixture to a full boil and then switch off.
Tadka
Heat coconut oil in a smaller pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Next, add the ginger (if using) and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds lastly add the dry red chillies and switch off. Swirl a few times and pour over the lauki curry. Let this cool before you can add the whisked yoghurt.
Add whisked yoghurt
Prepare 2 cups of whisked yoghurt and let it sit on the counter until the curry cools. Stir in the whisked yoghurt and make sure it is mixed well with the curry without any trace of yoghurt.
Switch on the heat to low to medium flame. Do not let the curry boil because it will cause the yoghurt to split and curdle. Keep stirring all the time until it steams. You can place your palm over the pot to sense if it has started to steam. Switch off and remove the pot from the hob.
Serve
Serve warm lauki curry with rice, chicken cutlets and lime pickle. Refrigerate any leftovers for 2 days. Reheat after bringing it to room temperature. Whisk while warming and heat just until it steams.