Soft and juicy pieces of bottle gourd cooked with the richness of channa dal in a combination of mild spices.
As a child, I never liked bottle gourd. My mother made a plethora of dishes with it. But I would always run away from it. Over a period of time, my mother tried to experiment and made a versions that I eventually loved to have with hot fluffy phulkas (puffed Indian flat bread). Today, let me show you my mother’s version of Lau Channadali tarakari in my way.
Prep time | 15-20 mins
Cooking time | 45 mins
Difficulty level | Intermediate
Ingredients
Channa dali/ split chickpeas, ½ cup
Bottle gourd medium, peeled and cut into large cubes
Potato medium, peeled and cut into medium cubes
Tempering Ingredients
Mustard oil, 2 tbsp
Cinnamon, 2 medium sized broken sticks
Dried bay leaf, 1 unit
Dried red chilies, 2 units
Pancha Phutana, 1/2 tbsp
Onion medium 1, Julienne cut
Ginger, Garlic, green chilies, 2 tbsp grated
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder, 1tsp
Kashmiri Red chilli powder, 1 tsp
Coriander powder, 1tsp
Cumin powder, 1tsp
Water, 1 cup
Tomatoes medium 1, chopped
Coriander leaves, 2 tbsp chopped
The first step here is to soak the channa dal in water for around 1 to 2 hrs, then drain it and keep it aside.
Peel the bottle guard and cut it into large cube-size pieces. Cut the bottle guard & follow the instructions in the cooking video. Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium-sized pieces.
Now is the time to temper the tarakari (gravy). Place a skillet or a pan on medium high heat. Add the mustard oil. Add the Cinnamon, Dried bay leaf and Dried red chilies.
Then add pancho patana.
(Odia 5 spice mixture consisting of cumin, seeds fennel seeds, Nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds and black mustard seeds.)
Once the Pancho Patana starts spluttering add the onions and fry it until it turns translucent. Add the grated ginger, garlic and green chilies. Fry it for a minute until the aroma overtakes your kitchen.
Add the cut bottle-gourd, potatoes and the soaked channa dal. Add some salt to taste, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.
Now mix all these dry spices well with the vegetables and the dal. Once that is done, add 1 cup of water.
Cover the lid and cook it until the potatoes are soft. That will probably take 10 to 15 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, add chopped tomatoes and cover the lid again. Cooking the tomatoes with the lid on helps it break down faster. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add some chopped coriander leaves. Our Lau Channadali tarakari is ready to be served. Enjoy it with some hot phulkas.
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