[Pressure Cooker Recipes] Lauki Chana Dal | Bottle Gourd Cooked in Lentils

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Piping hot dal + white rice (chawal) is a combination made in heaven. There are numerous ways to prepare a dal in Indian cuisine incorporating different kinds of veggies and spices. Today's recipe - Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd Cooked in Lentils) uses split bengal gram, bottle gourd also known as opo squash and my handy, best friend in the kitchen - a pressure cooker. I know it is one of those cooking equipments with a bad rep but it is making a comeback thankfully with many fool-proof, safety features. Did you know when compared to conventional cooking, most foods cook 70% faster (here's the proof) when using a pressure cooker. No wonder I love it so much especially on crazy weekdays when whipping up a simple meal seems like a big chore. Food taste better too, don't you think with all the aromatics, juices and nutrients trapped inside the pot. If you don't have one already, I would highly recommend it and there are tons of delicious recipes that you can make in minutes. Now, let's jump on the dal recipe. Shall we?

Lauki Palak Ke Kofte (Kofta) Masala | Bottle Gourd and Spinach Balls in Tomato Gravy Recipe + winners for the giveaways

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The months of November and December were just like any other until a few years ago. They became a season of music, joy and merriment once I moved to US. the holiday baking, the beautifully decorated christmas trees, the snowmen, the brightly lit up reindeers in front of almost every house, the gifts, the carols dimly humming at all cafes, the deals to buy super cool stuff dead cheap, meeting friends & family and travelling - all these symbolize the holiday season now. After experiencing all these for 6 long winters, the memories come back to me, regardless of where I am right now, right this moment.

New York is a magical city and every time I hear this song - Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams, it reminds me of time I spent there. Awesome time, I tell ya which I will cherish forever, and ever!

 

Today's recipe too - Lauki Palak Ke Kofte (Kofta) Masala brings back loads of memories when my mother used to make this along with a simple Rice Cooker Biryani as our Sunday special. :-)

Scroll down to know the lucky winners who won the previously announced giveaways - Canon Powershot camera, 25$ amazon and olive garden gift cards.

Enjoy!

{Recipe} Lauki Palak Ke Kofte (Kofta) Masala 

Lauki Palak Ke Kofte

ready to be fried..

To serve as an appetizer, ignore the gravy and use as-is. Yum! 

Notes: 

1. For lesser calories, the bottle gourd-spinach balls can be baked with a brushing of oil.
2. If using tomato puree, use finely chopped onions and there is no need to grind into a paste.
3. Let the balls be dunked into the tomato gravy before serving so that they soak up all the lovely flavors.

Makes for around 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

For the Kofte -

1 medium sized lauki (bottle gourd) ~ around 2 cups of grated lauki
1 cup chopped palak
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
oil - for frying

For the gravy -

2 onions, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped (or you can use tomato puree as well)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt - to taste (Adjust little by little as the kofte have salt too)
1/2 tsp or more garam masala
a pinch of sugar
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp of beaten yogurt (optional)
chopped coriander, for garnishing

Preparation:

1. Grate bottle gourd. Taking some at a time, using a muslin or thin cloth and squeeze all the water out of it by pressing between the palms. Finely chop spinach.

2. In a bowl, mix in squeezed bottle gourd, spinach and rest of the ingredients listed under "For the Kofte". Donot use any water. The liquid in the chopped spinach is enough to make into a dough. Make small lemon sized balls.

3. Heat enough oil in a kadai and gently fry few balls at a time until golden brown. Drain excess oil on paper towels.

4. For the gravy - heat a tbsp of oil in a kadai. Add ginger garlic paste and onions. Let it cook for few minutes. Add tomatoes. Stir well and cook until mushy. Cool a bit and grind into a fine paste.

5. Add the tomato-onion paste into the same kadai and add all the spices & seasonings - salt, turmeric, garam masala and sugar. Add a cup of water. Cook until oil starts to separate. Stir in the yogurt if using.

6. Drop the kofta balls into the gravy. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander. Serve with rice, roti or any kind of bread.

Serving Suggestions: Home-made Coconut Milk Fried Rice , Perfectly Baked Brown Rice, Methi Pulao, Gobhi/Cauliflower Paratha, Palak Thepla and Roti Telur 

Now are you ready to know who won the three exciting giveaways announced for this holiday season. Here are the lucky ones -

The 25$ Amazon Gift Card goes to Comment # 94 which is from - Carolsue.

The 25$ Olive Garden Gift Card goes to Comment # 7 from Mary

One lucky Indian reader who won the Canon Powershot A810 Point & Shoot Camera (Choice of color - Black, Silver or Red) along with 4 GB SDHC Card is Comment # 22 from Lubna 

Hearty Congratulations to all winners and I will contact you pretty soon for your shipping details and Thanks all for enthusiastically participating in all the giveaways!

~~ Happy Holidays ~~


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until next time,

Sorakaya (Anapakaya) Dappalam [Bottle Gourd Stew]

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Summer Holidays...

and memories come gushing as I remember in my grandparents house, the guava tree which I used to climb umpteen number of times in a day, my secret location near the stairs where I used to hide if I was angry, the ice cream treats that my uncles bought for us and we, kids playing in the tiny little garden of my grand mom which she took great care of. Curry leaf plant and bottle gourd plant were usuals there and they needed no special care. A little water mostly from rain and they used to grow up like crazy. :-). Dappalam was one of the andhra signature made and every household has its own version. This one is close to what my grand mom used to make for us, in my childhood.

Sorakaya/Anapakaya Dappalam [Bottle Gourd Stew]

Famously known as 'Dappalam' is a staple item made in many Andhra households. It literally translates to a stew (or pulusu) made with mixed veggies, spices , tamarind extract and/or little jaggery. Here, in today's recipe I have used just bottle gourd and nothing else. Served with piping hot rice with pappadams or masala omelet on the side, it becomes a delightful meal.

Adapted from here

Ingredients

1 medium bottlegourd, peeled, chopped. (discard seeds if it is not tender)

1 tsp sesame oil (or any other oil would work)

1 tsp each of mustard seeds and cumin seeds

2-3 green chillies, slit, minced

1 medium onion, chopped lengthwise

few curry leaves

1 tsp of minced fresh ginger

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

a pinch of asafoetida

1 tsp each of rasam powder, sambhar powder and coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

3 tbsp of chickpea flour (besan) mixed with 1/4 cup of cold water

4 tbsp of tamarind pulp

2 tsp of sugar or jaggery

Preparation:

1. In a pressure cooker, heat sesame oil and add mustard seeds & cumin seeds. Let them splutter & then ad green chillies, chopped onions, curry leaves, minced ginger & garlic and hing(asafoetida). Cook for 3-4 mins on medium-low flame. Finally add the turmeric and bottle gourd pieces. Mix well and cook for 2-3 mins. Add enough water until the bottle gourd pieces are completely immersed. Close and cook until 3 whistles. Keep aside, until the steam subsides.

2. On medium flame, place the contents of the cooker, add besan water, tamarind pulp, rasam powder, sambhar powder, coriander powder and sugar. Mix well and cook until the stew thickens and the raw smell of the besan is gone. Serve.

Variations - One can add any amount of mixed veggies such as beans, drumsticks, carrots, pumpkin etc to this dappalam. In some recipes, even toor dal is used.

until next time,
Siri