Name: Bottle Gourd Dal (Lauki or Doodhi) spiced with Sambar Powder recipe by Vidya Narayan at BetterButter
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: Half a Bottle Gourd or Doodhi – roughly chopped; Tur / Arhar Dal – ¼ cup; Chana Dal – 2 tblsps; Oil – 2 tsps; Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp; Whole red chillies – 1 or 2 broken roughly into pieces; Curry leaves – few sprigs; Sambar Powder – 1tblsp; Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp (optional); Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp; Hing – a pinch; Water for cooking as required; Salt as per taste

ABOUT Bottle Gourd Dal (Lauki or Doodhi) spiced with Sambar Powder RECIPE

A bowl of Dal is comfort food for most of us, including me. When you add vegetable especially Gourds like Doodhi, you tend to increase the nutritional value of the dish by making the comfort food a healthy option too. A steaming bowl of rice topped with ghee and ladles of this dal poured over would make one content. That is the magic of true comfort food, takes you back to childhood days when food was simple and memories unlimited. This dish is low on oil, diabetic friendly, a no onion and garlic dish and yet high on flavours.

Ingredients Serving: 3

Half a Bottle Gourd or Doodhi – roughly chopped
Tur / Arhar Dal – ¼ cup
Chana Dal – 2 tblsps
Oil – 2 tsps
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Whole red chillies – 1 or 2 broken roughly into pieces
Curry leaves – few sprigs
Sambar Powder – 1tblsp
Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp (optional)
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Hing – a pinch
Water for cooking as required
Salt as per taste

Instructions

Wash, peel, and roughly chop the bottle gourd or doodhi into pieces or slightly big chunks.
Wash and soak the dal separately for 15 minutes.
In a vessel suitable for pressure cooking, add the chopped bottle gourd and the dals (chana dal and Tur Dal) along with some turmeric and salt, water as required for cooking and cook it in a pressure cooker for atleast 3 whistles.
After the doodhi and dal have cooked, heat a kadhai, add oil and then the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the whole red chillies, hing and curry leaves.
Add the cooked mixture of dal and doodhi, mix and stir well. Check for the salt and adjust accordingly, if required. Also check the consistency of the dal at this stage.
Now add the red chilli powder (optional), the sambar powder and let the dal simmer on low flame for 5 minutes until the masalas flavours the dal.
Switch off the flame and serve piping hot with rice or rotis / flatbreads of your choice.

Similar Recipes