A vegan recipe of lauki and chana dal. Lauki chana dal is prepared by bottle gourd aka lauki, ghiya, doodhi and bengal gram aka chana dal. This Lauki chana dal is from northern part of India, perhaps from U.P. or Punjab.
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What is lauki chana dal curry
Lauki is also known as bottle gourd or Calabaza. It has few other names like ghiya, doodhi. Lauki has numerous benefits, like its rich in nutrients, keeps body hydrated, cleanses the skin, helps get rid of constipation, regulates blood pressure, protects against kidney stones and urinary disorders and many more benefits.
Chana Dal (or Dahl), is bengal gram and has massive health benefits too. Chana dal is said to heal the blood vessels and thereby lower any inflammation. It is a very good source of folic acid. Chana dal reduces the risk of blood clots as well as hardening of the arteries.
Lauki Chana dal is a punjabi style curry (or can call dal). To make this curry lauki is cooked with soaked chana dal along with onion, tomatoes and common Indian spices.
This chana dal is a recipe from my mum. As a kid, I barely loved lauki on its own. My mum used to make good use of lauki by making this dal. My love for lauki has increased now, knowing the health benefits of lauki. I make lauki kofta, lauki kheer and lauki raita too. However, lauki dal remains the most healthy alternative.
Method
Soak the chana dal for 20mins. Cut the bottle gourd / lauki into small square pieces. Saute asafoetida, cumin seeds, onion, in a pan and add chana dal and roast the dal. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric etc. Add tomatoes and saute. Finally, add lauki and cook it. Once almost cooked, add garam masala and garnish with coriander.
I have used pressure cooker to make this lauki dal. If you do not have access to pressure cooker, you can make this curry in a normal pan or kadai. The time taken to make this curry will increase if you do not use pressure cooker.
For making this chana dal quick, soak chana dal for 20mins at least, as it saves time in cooking.
Making in Instant Pot
You can make this lauki chana dal in instant pot too. All the steps are same, expect that once lauki is added, put this on pressure cooking for 8 mins, and release pressure gently.
Benefits of this lauki dal
- Is Vegan
- Can be Gluten-free if you do not use asafoetida.
- Easy to make
- Is full of nutrients.
- Tastes really good.
- You can cook it in Instant Pot.
Other variants of this chana dal
- You can replace, chana dal with moong dal.
- Add potatoes.
- Replace dal with punjabi wadi.
- Go for no onion version.
Serving suggestion
Serve dal with steamed rice or chapatti (flat Indian bread). This is simple food at its best.
Dal Lover?
If you are dal (dahl) lover like me, you will love to try out Dal Fry / Dal Tadka and Dal Bukhara
Recipe Card
Lauki Chana Dal Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 Grams Lauki / Doodhi / Bottle gourd
- 1/2 Cup Bengal Gram / Chana Dal
- 1 Onion Medium Size, Chopped
- 2 Tomatoes Medium Size, Chopped
- 2 Green chillies Chopped
- 1/3 Tsp Asafoetida
- 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- Fresh Coriander Leaves For garnishing
Instructions
- Wash and soak chana dal for 20 minutes. Similarly, Wash, Peel and chop bottle gourd / lauki into cubes.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds crackle add chopped onions to it and sauté till they are pink.
- Add chana dal now and roast for few minutes. Add all the spices except garam masala and sauté again for a minute. Add chopped chillies and tomatoes and sauté till tomatoes are soft.
- Add chopped bottle gourd and 1/2 cup of water to it and cover it with the lid of pressure cooker.
- Cook till you get 3 whistles from pressure cooker. Switch off the heat now and let the pressure release itself.
- Open the lid and give it a stir. If you think your gravy little runny, switch on the heat again and let it cook for further 5 minutes without covering with lid.
- Switch off the heat and add garam masala to it. Mix well and transfer into a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or bread of your choice.
Notes
- I cook this lauki chana dal curry in pressure cooker just to save my cooking time. You can cook in any pan / kadhai, however cooking time will increase.
- You can add chana dal direct without soaking, but cooking time will increase. Cook it till you get 4-5 whistles from cooker in this case.
Nutrition