Lauki Ki iShtoo

I love lauki in any form. But my roomie does not like it,almost hate it. So,I often try to make something different so that we can eat without making faces. And this time it seems, I succeeded in my attempts.
Here goes my tryst with lauki.

U will need: Lauki approx. 400 gm(a small one will do), 1 small katori chana dal,2 tspn ginger-garlic paste, 1 tspn turmeric powder, 2 tspn red chilli powder, 1 tbspn coriander powder, 1 tspn garam-masala powder, 2 onions, 2 tbspn mustard oil, 1tspn jeera, 2 red chilli, salt.

Soak chana dal for 40-45 minutes. Peel off lauki. Wash it & cut it in small pieces (approx. 1 inch).keep aside. Peel off the onions & Cut them.
In a small katori, mix all the spices.Add some water to them.Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add jeera & red chilli(break each into two pieces). Add onion. Stir it. Cook for 2-3 minutes.Add Lauki.Stir well. Cover the pressure cooker with its lid(remove gaskit).Cook for 2-3 minutes on sim flame. Now add chana dal. Cook on medium flame for next 2 minutes. Add the spice-mix. Cook for next 10 minutes.Add water if needed. Keep stirring once in a while. Add salt. Add 1 katori water.Now close the pressure cooker. Let it whistle twice.Switch off your stove.
It goes well, both with roti as well as rice.


Tip of the Day: Add a pinch of salt to onion while frying.It will soften the onions which will make good gravy.