Lau Ghonto (Bottle Gourd with Moong Dal)
- 50 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Lau ghonto is a Bengali dry side of bottle gourd cooked with roasted moong dal, ginger, whole spices and mustard oil. Mild, serves 4, 50 minutes.
Ingredients
Bottle Gourd, Julienne550 grams
Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped5 grams
Green Chilli, Slit6 grams
Moong Dal15 grams
Ginger Paste2 tsp
Turmeric Powder½ tsp
Cumin Powder1 tsp
Water, For Mixing30 ml
Mustard Oil2 tbsp
Dry Red Chilli2 grams
Bay Leaves1 grams
Green Cardamom1 grams
Cinnamon1 grams
Cloves0.5 grams
Cumin½ tsp
Salt1 tsp
Sugar2 tsp
Ghee5 ml
Contains: milk.
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 | 134kcal | 536kcal |
| Protein | 2.2g | 8.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 11g | 45g |
| Fat | 9.5g | 38g |
| Fibre | 2.1g | 8.4g |
| Sugar | 2.4g | 9.6g |
Cookd masalas for bottle gourd
Method
Peel the bottle gourd and cut off both ends. Taste a tiny piece of the raw gourd first: if it is bitter, do not use it. Cut it into thin matchsticks, about 3 mm thick. Chop the coriander leaves and slit the green chillies.
Dry roast the moong dal in a kadai on medium flame for 3 minutes, stirring all the time, until it turns light brown and smells nutty. Take it out on a plate.
In a small bowl, mix the ginger paste, turmeric powder and cumin powder with 30 ml water to make a thin paste.
Heat the mustard oil in the same kadai on high flame until it just starts to smoke, then lower the flame. Add the dry red chillies, bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cumin seeds. Fry for 20 seconds until fragrant.
Add the spice paste and fry on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes, until the water dries and oil shows at the sides. Add the roasted moong dal with 30 ml water and stir for 1 minute.
Add the bottle gourd and salt and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The gourd gives out its own water, so do not add more.
Add the green chillies and sugar. Cook uncovered on medium flame for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the water dries and the gourd is soft and mushy.
Switch off the flame. Mix in the ghee and coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice and dal.
Before you start
- How long does Lau Ghonto (Bottle Gourd with Moong Dal) take?
- 50 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Lau Ghonto (Bottle Gourd with Moong Dal) serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Lau Ghonto (Bottle Gourd with Moong Dal) vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Lau Ghonto (Bottle Gourd with Moong Dal) 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 Ghonto (Bottle Gourd with Moong Dal)?
- 550 grams Bottle Gourd, 15 grams Moong Dal, 5 grams Coriander Leaves, 6 grams Green Chilli, 2 grams Dry Red Chilli, 1 grams Bay Leaves, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Lau Ghonto (Bottle Gourd with Moong Dal)?
- No, it is cooked in an open pot.
- How many calories are in Lau Ghonto (Bottle Gourd with Moong Dal)?
- About 134 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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