Lauki (Bottlegourd) Curry

Lauki/Ghiya (Hindi/Urdu) , Sorakkai (Tamil) , Dudhi (Marathi)  is believed to have come from Africa but has procured a very high position in  the Indian kitchens but  has not made a very remarkable place in the western household.
This particular vegetable is not liked by many people especially children for a slightly different and an odd flavor that it possess.Packed with a lot of nutrition and various health benefits ,bottle gourd is gaining popularity.

Some of the health benefits of Bottle gourd that I have read in various health magazines are summarised below.

• It helps fight constipation, as it is fiber rich. Because of its fiber and low fat content, Ayurveda highly recommends this food for diabetic patients and young children.
• Ayurveda also recommends the juice of this gourd in the treatment of acidity, indigestion and ulcers .
• Bottle gourd is also considered one of the best weight loss foods since it is 96 percent water and has a very low calorie content.
• It is rich in, thiamin, vitamin C, zinc, iron and magnesium  which helps improving overall health.

 I am linking this recipe for the Healthy Me, Healthy Us event of Priya Mitharwal hosted by Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds and as per the event title the recipe does not have any added extra calorie content in the form of deep frying which means its the HEALTHIER version :-)

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-30 mins
Serves : 2-3

Ingredients

1 medium sized bottle gourd / dudhi - chopped into small cubes
 2 tomatoes chopped
1 medium sized onion chopped
1/4 cup green peas
 1 tsp cumin /jeera
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp ginger grated
pinch of turmeric
salt
freshly chopped coriander /cilantro

Method

• In a skillet /kadai ,heat a tsp of oil and splutter the jeera/cumin.
• Add the onions and ginger and saute well until the onion turns pink.
• Put in the tomatoes,saute until tender and to it add the chopped dhudhi and the green peas.
• Throw in the chilli powder,salt,turmeric,dhania powder and mix well.
• Add about 11/4 cups of water and cook well until the dudhi is cooked well.
• Adjust the salt and spice level and garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.