lunch · navratri · festive · no-onion-no-garlic · lauki · bottle-gourd · sabzi · pressure-cooker
Lauki Sabzi
Lauki sabzi is a light everyday bottle gourd curry made in a small pressure cooker. Cumin, ginger and green chilli go in first, then tomatoes are cooked until pulpy before turmeric, Kashmiri chilli and the chopped lauki. Three to four whistles are enough to make it soft and mushy, and a final pinch of garam masala and coriander lifts it. Serve hot with phulkas, chapatis or parathas.
Cook along · 8 steps
Method
- 1
Heat oil in a 2-litre stovetop pressure cooker over low heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- 2
Add chopped ginger and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds until the raw aroma of the ginger disappears.
- 3
Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté over medium-low heat until they become soft and pulpy and the oil starts releasing from the sides. Meanwhile, rinse, peel, and chop the lauki.
- 4
Add turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder (if using), and asafoetida (if using). Stir and sauté for about a minute.
- 5
Add the chopped lauki and sauté for a minute. Add salt and mix well.
- 6
Pour in 1 cup water, stir, and pressure cook for 3–4 whistles or 7–8 minutes over medium heat, until the lauki is well cooked and mushy.
- 7
Allow the pressure to release naturally before opening the cooker. If the sabzi is too liquid, simmer it uncovered until the desired consistency is reached.
- 8
Add garam masala and chopped coriander leaves (if using). Stir well and serve hot or warm with phulkas, chapatis, or parathas.
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