Lau Chingri (Bottle Gourd with Prawns)
- 55 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Lau chingri is a Bengali side of bottle gourd strips cooked with small fried prawns, whole spices and ginger in mustard oil, finished with ghee. Mild, serves.
Ingredients
Prawns, Cleaned and Deveined200 grams
Salt1½ tsp
Turmeric Powder½ tsp
Bottle Gourd, Julienne800 grams
Mustard Oil3 tbsp
Dry Red Chilli1 grams
Bay Leaves1 grams
Cinnamon1 grams
Green Cardamom0.5 grams
Cloves0.5 grams
Cumin½ tsp
Cumin Powder½ tsp
Ginger, Paste8 grams
Green Chilli, Slit9 grams
Sugar1½ tsp
Ghee10 ml
Garam Masala Powder0.5 grams
Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped5 grams
Contains: milk, shellfish.
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 215kcal | 860kcal |
| Protein | 12g | 46g |
| Carbohydrate | 10g | 41g |
| Fat | 15g | 59g |
| Fibre | 1.6g | 6.4g |
| Sugar | 1.9g | 7.6g |
Cookd masalas for prawns
Method
Mix the prawns with 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of the turmeric powder. Peel the bottle gourd and taste a small raw piece; do not use it if it is bitter. Cut it into thin sticks about 1.5 inches long.
Heat the mustard oil in a kadai on high heat for 1 minute until it just starts to smoke, then lower the heat to medium. Fry the prawns for 30 seconds until they turn pink. Take them out.
In the same oil, add the dry red chilli, bay leaf, cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves and cumin and fry for 20 seconds. Add the cumin powder and the rest of the turmeric and fry on low heat for 1 minute. Add the ginger paste and fry for 1 minute.
Add the bottle gourd, green chillies and the remaining salt. Mix, cover and cook on low heat for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the gourd is soft and most of the water it lets out has dried up.
Add the sugar and the fried prawns. Cook without the lid for 5 minutes until dry. Add the ghee, garam masala and coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.
Before you start
- How long does Lau Chingri (Bottle Gourd with Prawns) take?
- 55 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Lau Chingri (Bottle Gourd with Prawns) serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Lau Chingri (Bottle Gourd with Prawns) vegetarian?
- No, it contains meat or fish.
- Is Lau Chingri (Bottle Gourd with Prawns) spicy?
- It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Lau Chingri (Bottle Gourd with Prawns)?
- 200 grams Prawns, 800 grams Bottle Gourd, 1 grams Dry Red Chilli, 1 grams Bay Leaves, 1 grams Cinnamon, 0.5 grams Green Cardamom, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Lau Chingri (Bottle Gourd with Prawns)?
- No, it is cooked in an open pot.
- How many calories are in Lau Chingri (Bottle Gourd with Prawns)?
- About 215 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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