Ringa Ringa Lauki~

Bottle Gourd, better known as Dudhi in Bombay or Lauki towards the north of India belongs to the Squash family.  Getting creative with Lauki can be tough one!  Its a bland vegetable and easily voted one the most hated veggie by kids, teenagers and adults alike.  I'm not kidding, haven't you seen the recent ad by Cadbury's??   Lauki if masked as Koftas, Raita or Parathas may still be consumed but just on its own, is a tough one to please many!  Lucky for me its a much liked vegetable in my home!!

I have seen recipes for stuffed Lauki before, and even used it a as a replacement for Zucchini Rolls, used it in Pasta, to make Moroccon Stew and stir fried it with Chinese flavorings!  They all work well since Lauki takes on added flavors really well.  So next time your family refuses to eat any one vegetable, don't give up!  I'm sure brussel sprouts too can be creatively handled and devoured by everyone :P (no harm in wishful thinking!!)

Here's may take on Stuffed Lauki... hope you and your family enjoy this recipe~

Stuffed Lauki Rings

Ingredients:

½ kg Bottle Gourd (Lauki, Dudhi, Opo Squash)

1 cup Besan (gram flour)

½ cup grated Paneer

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 Tbsp chopped Cilantro

¼ cup finely chopped green onions

½ tsp Garam Masala

Salt to taste

To Sautee

1 Tbsp oil

1 tsp Cumin seeds

Finely chopped green onions to garnish

Lemon wedges.

Method:

1)      Wash and Peel gourd.  Cut into 1 cm rounds.  Core then center of these rounds to make rings.  Reserve the cored center and chop them up finely. Lightly apply salt to the rings and keep them aside.

2)      Dry roast gram flour and let it cool. 

3)      To the gram flour add paneer, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chopped cilantro and green onion.  Add finely chopped gourd core, add salt to taste and mix well, but use light hands. The mixture should remain crumbly and no become a dough.

4)      Stuff this mixture into gourd rings. 

5)      Use a steamer (I use Idli steamer) to steam stuffed gourd rings for 10 mins.

6)      Let it stand for 5 – 10 minutes. 

7)      Heat Oil is a frying pan, add cumin seeds and gently place steamed gourd rings.  Sautee them on one side until light golden and flip to repeat.  While in the pan, top with green onions and dash of lime. 

8)      Serve hot with Rotis or can be served as a starter with cilantro & mint chutney.

Happy Cooking :)