Lauki is a popular choice for a quick and nutritious meal. This low-calorie vegetable, sometimes referred to as bottle gourd, ghiya, or doodhi, is a wonderful treasury of nutrients ideal for maintaining our health. This green vegetable has a neutral flavor and is simple to cook with. I enjoy making various dishes with lauki, such as lauki chana dal, lauki kurma, lauki soup, and lauki kheer. Today, I’m excited to share my recipe for Lauki Sabzi. It is delicous, easy to make and perfect for weeknight dinner. Ready in under 30 minutes. Pairs well with roti / chapati, paratha or steamed basmati rice. You can prepare this lauki ki sabzi in three ways Instant Pot, a stovetop pressure cooker, and a stovetop pan. I have shared steps to make it in all three ways.
What is Lauki (Bottle Gourd)?
Lauki or bottle gourd is also known as calabash, long melon, which is a vine grown for its fruits, either harvested young or used as a vegetable in most parts of the world. This fresh, tender vegetable has a pale green smooth skin and white flesh inside. - Source Wiki There are many names for Lauki, it’s known as Bottle Gourd in English. In some other Indian languages, it’s also called lauki, dudhi, ghiya, sorekai, sorakaya, churakka, dudhi bhopala, lau. They are also known as Cucuzza, Calabash, Opo Squash in other countries.
Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd
Bottle gourd has always been one of the healthiest vegetables. This vegetable is full of water, about 92%, and has rich nutrients and minerals to keep your body hydrated. It also helps in weight loss, cools your body, helps digestion, and helps in treating sleeping disorders. This Lauki Sabji/Sabzi is a Keto or Low carb recipe; make sure to use a moderate amount of onions and tomato. If you are on a Keto or Low Carb Diet, check out my keto indian food recipes Collection.
What Is Lauki Ki Sabzi?
This low-calorie dish, made with bottle gourd, onion, tomatoes, curry leaves, and a few spices, is light and filling. You may serve it with simple chapati, rice, and other dishes.
Ingredients
Lauki (bottle gourd): I have used 1 medium lauki, about 500 grams (appx 3.5 cups when chopped), in this recipe. Wash the bottle gourd, peel the skin, and discard any seeds. Cut into ½ inch pieces else, small pieces of lauki will get mashed in the pressure cooker. Lauki is readily available in any Indian grocery or Asian store. Green chilies: Lauki vegetable tastes mild. To make this doodhi curry spicy, I used two green Thai chilies, you can skip it if you like. Ginger: I have used only ginger in this lauki curry recipe. You can also add freshly minced garlic and ginger or ginger-garlic paste. Curry leaves: Adding curry leaves brings a unique flavor, so I highly recommend not skipping them. Onion: Use finely chopped onions that form the base for this curry. You can skip it if you are making no onion no garlic recipe. Tomatoes: I used finely chopped Roma tomatoes to make the base for this curry. You can also puree the tomatoes instead and add them if you wish. Oil: I used coconut oil, you can use any cooking oil. Dry spices: I used turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and amchur powder. You can increase or decrease the spices according to your choice. Coriander leaves: are used for flavor and garnishing.
How to Make Lauki Ki Sabzi Recipe
Preparing the Lauki/Bottle Gourd
Wash the bottle gourd and cut off the top and bottom ends using a sharp knife. Peel off the skin with a peeler and cut it in half lengthwise. Also, remove large seeds, if any. Now cut each into bite-size ½-inch cubes.
Instant Pot Method
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Heat oil, add cumin seeds, and let them splutter. Then add minced ginger, green chilies, and curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds. Add chopped onions. Saute till the onions are soft and translucent. Next, add tomatoes and all the dry spices like turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt. Cook for two minutes or till tomatoes turn soft and mushy. Then add the lauki pieces and water. Mix everything well. Note: If your Instant Pot has shown BURN in the past, add an extra two tablespoons of water. Also, Deglaze the bottom of the pot using liquids to remove any stuck bits to avoid a BURN alert. Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to “SEALING”. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 5 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Remove the lid away from you, squeeze lemon juice, and garnish with coriander leaves. Mix well. If there is any excess water, change the setting to SAUTE mode and cook until you get the desired consistency. Lauki Sabzi is ready, serve hot with chapatis, roti & parathas.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same process mentioned above for Instant Pot. Give 1-2 whistles on medium heat and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same.
Stovetop Pot Method
Follow the same process mentioned above for Instant Pot. Cover Kadai with a lid and cook till lauki gets soft on medium flame. Do stir once or twice in between. Once lauki is cooked, add garam masala and garnish it with cilantro. All the other steps remain the same for Bottle gourd curry.
Storage
To Store: Leftovers stay good for 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freeze: Freeze in freezer-safe containers or Ziploc bags for up to 3 months. Reheat: Reheat lauki curry in a microwave or stovetop until warm, and serve. If it’s frozen, defrost first and then reheat.
Variations
Add dal: You can also add lentils like chana dal, and moong dal to this ghiya sabzi. Soak the chana dal for 1-2 hours, and then add them along with lauki in the pressure cooker. Here is the recipe for lauki chana dal. Add veggies: Vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, green peas, and beans pair well with this curry. If you cannot find lauki near you, You can swap bottle gourd with other vegetables like ridge gourd (peerkangai), chayote squash (chow chow), zucchini, yellow squash, or pumpkin. Add coconut milk (or cream): You can add ¼ cup of full-fat coconut milk or cream at the end to make the sabzi rich and creamy. Spices: You can increase or decrease spices according to your preference.
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