(Bottle gourd and Split Bengal gram lentil curry)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup Split Bengal gram dal (lentil)
- 1 medium size bottle gourd
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 inch ginger
- 1-2 green chilies
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or any other vegetable oil)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp asafetida
- 1-2 dry red chilies broken in large pieces
- 1 tbsp coriander-cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp lime / lemon juice
- 1 tbsp jaggery powder
- 2 tbsp chopper cilantro
Method:
Preparation
- Properly wash split Bengal gram dal and soak it for a couple of hours
- Taste bottle gourd at both the ends to ensure that it’s not bitter… must not use bitter bottle gourd in your cooking!
- Chop bottle gourd into small / medium pieces
- Make ginger, chili, garlic paste
Cooking
- Cook the dal in pressure cooker (2-3 whistles) or in instant pot (5 minutes under pressure)
- Once you are able to open the cooker without forcing it, add chopped bottle gourd, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, mix well and cook for another 3 whistle (if in Instant Pot, for 10 minutes under pressure)
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium / high heat
- To hot oil, add mustard seeds. When the seeds start crackling, add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds start crackling, add asafetida and red dry chili pieces
- Add curry leaves, onions and sauté till the onions are translucent
- Add the ginger, chili, garlic paste and sauté for a minute
- Add the chopped tomato and sauté for a couple of minutes
- Add the remaining 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, coriander-cumin powder, red chili powder and sauté for a minute
- To the pan, add the cooked bottle gourd and split Bengal gram dal and mix well and cook on low to medium heat for 5 minutes
- Add lime / lemon juice, jaggery powder, mix well, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with any Indian bread like chapati or paratha
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