Lauki Aloo: Bottle Gourd and Potato Stew

19 Oct

Lauki Aloo: Bottle Gourd and Potato Stew

When you want a simple tasty vegetable curry to be ready without much effort, this stew of bottle gourd, potatoes and tomatoes is your answer. Use a pressure-cooker to make lauki aloo and you save a lot on time too.

You can vary the quantity of the three vegetables in lauki aloo to suit your taste. I cook this with approximately the same amount of bottle gourd as potatoes.

Lauki Aloo

You Need:

  • Bottle Gourd – 400 grams
  • Potatoes – 2 large
  • Tomatoes – 2
  • Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Salt – to taste
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Mustard or cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
  • Asafoetida powder – a pinch
  • Mustard oil – 2 teaspoons (1 teaspoon will do, but since this stew is low on other spices I like to balance it with the extra tang of mustard)

How To Make Lauki Aloo:

Bottle Gourd, Potatoes, Tomatoes

Peel the potatoes and bottle gourd.

Vegetables Being Peeled

Chop the three veggies – potatoes, bottle gourd and tomatoes – into large chunks.

Bottle Gourd Chopped

Heat mustard oil in the pressure cooker. When hot, add fenugreek seeds and mustard/cumin seeds. Within a few seconds, the fenugreek seeds will turn brown and the mustard/cumin seeds will have popped. Then add asafoetida powder and potato cubes. After 2-3 minutes, add turmeric and red chili powder. Stir around for a minute.

Potatoes, Cooking

Bottle gourd and tomato chunks go in next along with salt. Cook on high flame for another 2-3 minutes. The tomatoes will begin to turn mushy and the spices will have evenly coated the vegetables.

Potatoes, Gourds, Tomatoes, Cooking

Add a cup of water to the pressure cooker.

Bottle Gourd and Potatoes - To Be Pressure Cooked

Lock the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook on high flame till one whistle, then set the flame to low. The time for which you need to cook further depends on the size and type of your pressure cooker. Mine takes one more whistle (approximately 4 mins).

Let the pressure cooker release steam naturally. Unlock the lid.

Bottle Gourd Potato Stew

Lauki aloo (bottle gourd potato stew) is ready to eat.

Lauki Aloo - Bottle Gourd Potato Stew

Serve lauki aloo hot with chapatis or rice, and a dry vegetable fry on the side.

Lauki Aloo: Bottle Gourd and Potato Stew

Notes:

1. If you use asafoetida as granules instead of powder, put it into the hot oil before the fenugreek and mustard seeds.

2. If you are not using a pressure cooker, a pan with a closed lid will work. It will only have to stay on the heat a while longer.

3. I invite you to try some more elaborate recipes that use bottle gourd:

  • Parsi dhansak – a rich medley of legumes, gourds and squashes together with aromatic spices
  • Lauki kofta – bottle gourd balls fried and simmered in an onion-tomato gravy
  • Lauki paratha – pan-toasted flatbread with grated bottle gourd and seasonings

Lauki Aloo

5 Responses to “Lauki Aloo: Bottle Gourd and Potato Stew”

  1. Tadka Pasta October 21, 2011 at 10:58 AM #

    Have actually started liking lauki very recently..loved the colors of your sabzi, and this easy recipe.

  2. malvika December 26, 2017 at 5:45 PM #

    i made it today.its really simple and nice for a change.

    • S December 27, 2017 at 8:46 AM #

      Great to hear that malvika :)

  3. Rattan March 7, 2021 at 9:08 PM #

    Lovely recipe and very easy to make .

    • S March 8, 2021 at 8:14 AM #

      Thank you Rattan!

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