5 delicious recipes that will make you fall in love with Bottle Gourd (Lauki)

From kids to adults, many of us make faces when it comes to eating bottle gourd in any form. But, when you look at its nutritional value, it is no less than a superfood. According to Ayurveda, it is good for the digestive system, and has cooling, calming, diuretic properties. It is also rich in vitamins that assist in increasing the body's metabolic rate to better digest fats, protein, and sugar. Today, we are going to share some really interesting and delicious lauki recipes that will make you fall in love with this vegetable. (Image: istock)

Take a mixing bowl, add 1 cup grated bottle gourd, 4 tbsp gram flour, 1 tsp carom seeds, 1 tsp, turmeric powder, salt to taste, 1 tsp green chill, and mix well using enough water to make a batter of thick consistency. Now, heat oil in a deep pan, make kofta balls of batter and deep fry them till they turn golden brown in colour. Set aside. In the same pan, add 1 tbsp cumin seeds to leftover oil, 2 dry red chilli, ½ tsp asafoetida, and allow it to splutter. Add 2 chopped onions, and 2 chopped tomatoes to it and cook till they turn translucent. Now add 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp sabzi masala and cook on low flame till oil separates. Now add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. To adjust the consistency you may add 1 tsp gram flour. Now, add the kofta balls and add salt to taste. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add 1 tsp garam masala, stir well, and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with roti or rice! (Image: istock)

Take a frying pan, add 2 tsp desi ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 dry red chilli and allow it to splutter. Now add 1 cup grated bottle gourd and sauté on low flame till water evaporates. Take a mixing bowl, add beaten curd, 2 tsp powdered sugar, salt to taste, 2 tsp roasted cumin powder, ½ tsp black pepper power, ½ tsp chaat masala, ½ tsp black salt. Mix well and add sautéed bottle gourd to it. Stir well and serve chilled with stuffed paratha. (Image: istock)

Wash, peel, and cut one bottle gourd into discs and set aside. Take a mixing bowl, add ½ cup gram flour, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 4 tbsp semolina, salt to taste,1 tsp carom seeds, ½ tsp black pepper powder, ½ tsp asafoetida, ¼ tsp black salt and mix well using water to make a batter of binding consistency. Take a kadhai and add enough oil and once hot enough, add bottle gourd discs evenly coated with gram flour batter and deep fry on a low flame till the pakodas are crisp and golden brown in colour from both sides. Garnish with chaat masala and serve with masala chai. (Image: istock)

Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a pan and once hot enough add 1 tsp cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add asafoetida, fenugreek seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Now, add 1 tbsp gram flour and cook till the raw aroma of gram flour disappears. Add 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, and 2 tsp crushed ginger and garlic. Saute all the ingredients well. Now add 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped onion and salt. Cook until they turn translucent and oil separates on the edges of the pan. At last, add 2 cups of peeled, diced and boiled lauki and mix well. Cook for 5-7 minutes and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with paratha or roti. (Image: istock)

Take a kadhai, add ½ cup ghee and 1 cup peeled and grated bottle gourd. Make sure that the bottle gourd is seedless. Slow it on a low flame for 15-20 minutes till the water evaporates and the bottle gourd turns golden brown in colour. Now, add 1 cup milk to it and 1 cup sugar. Bring it to a boil and cook for 10 minutes on medium flame till the milk gets absorbed and you attain halwa consistency. Garnish it with chopped almonds, walnuts and pistachio. Serve hot. (Image: istock)

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