Lauki Ka Bharta
Lauki Bharta- A delicious and easy to make bottle gourd and tomato mash
Servings: 3 person
Ingredients
- 750 gm Bottle Gourd / Lauki
- 3 medium Tomatoes / Tamatar 350 gm
- 2 Green chili/hari mirch chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger / Adrak chopped
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder / Haldi Powder
- 1.5 tsp Kashmiri Chili powder
- To Taste Salt
- 4 tbsp Fresh Coriander / Cilantro / Hara Dhaniya
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice / Nimbu Ka Ras
- Pinch Sugar / Chini optional
tempering/ tadka
- 4 tbsp Cooking oil
- 2 tbsp Clarified Butter / Desi Ghee optional
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds / Sabut Jeera
- 1/3 tsp Asafoetida / Hing powder
- 2 Dried Red Chili, Whole
Instructions
- Wash and peel the lauki/ bottle gourd (try to select tender fresh lauki for making bharta)
- Discard the hard mature seeds and chop lauki into small pieces.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in the pressure cooker and add the chopped lauki pieces and saute for a minute.
- Add 1/2 cup water and pressure cook for at least 3-4 whistles or cook till it become soft and mushy.
- Open the cooker when it cool down completely then drain the water and mash the cooked lauki with a ladle or slightly mash with a hand blender, don't make a fine paste ,just make a coarse paste. (use the drained water in any curry or to make the chapati dough)
- Heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan and add cumin seeds, when cumin start crackling then add asafoetida and the dried whole red chilies.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes and green chilies, saute for a minute and then cover with a lid and cook till tomato become soft.
- Now add kashmiri chili powder and turmeric in the tomato mixture and cook till oil start releasing from the sides.
- Now add the mashed lauki ,salt, sugar and chopped ginger in the prepared tomato puree and cook for at least 5 minute on medium heat. keep stirring it.
- Switch off the heat and add lemon juice, fresh chopped coriander and ghee in the bharta and mix well
- Serve hot lauki bharta with chapati or paratha.