Lauki ki Sabja curry with sesame seeds & peanuts

Dhudi is an Indian vegetable. It's a member of the gourd family, and tastes like a slightly bitter marrow.  They come in various shapes and sizes, and confusingly have dozens of names in different countries.  The main names to remember are Lauki (India), Hulu (Chinese), and Calabash (USA/Europe).

If left on the vine, they thicken up and are often hollowed out, dried, and used in place of bottles. For this reason, they are often referred to as bottle gourds. When young, they are eaten as a vegetable.  You just peel them with a normal peeler, dice & then boil or fry for about 5mins.  By themselves they are a bit bland, so they are usually cooked with lots of spices.  That's where I get interested!

They are eaten all across India, Pakistan, in China, Korea, Vietnam and parts of South America, so there are no doubt a huge amount of recipes out there.

To get the ball rolling, here's a recipe I tried last night which uses no oil.  I had it with some plain rice & some mint yoghurt.  Spicy and healthy, cool.

I've lost the link for the indian blog I found it on.  Apologies!

Lauki ki Sabji  (Dhudi cooked with no meat)

1 Dhudi
2/3 Cup water
1 tsp salt
1 big pinch Hing(asafoetida)
1 big pinch turmeric

1 handful chopped coriander

Masala 
1/2 cup peanuts
1 tbs sesame seeds
1tsp corriander seeds
1tsp fennel seeds
2 dried red chillies (broken up)
1 clove garlic, squashed flat
1/2 tsp chilli powder

Dry roast the peanuts in a hot pan first, until lightly golden.  Then blitz in a grinder.

Lightly toast the rest of the masala ingredients one by one for a few seconds & add to the grinder.

Blitz.

Peel & dice the Dhudi (2-3 cup fulls)

Bring 2/3 of a cup of water to the boil

Boil the dhudi in an open pan with 1 tsp salt and a big pinch of turmeric & asafoetida (hing) for 5mins until soft, but still keeping shape.

There will be some liquid left over.

Add the masala to the pan and cook it through for another couple of minutes.  It will absorb all the cooking juices.

Mix with the chopped coriander & serve.

Down to my greed, I ate the whole lot...  It was delicious, but still mildly bitter.  This dish would be better as part of a meal alongside something sweeter.  Alongside a south-indian coconut curry for instance, it would be amazing!