Lauki goes rich

Pushpesh Pant

Yakhni is a classic dish in Kashmiri wazwaan. Very mildly spiced with curd-based gravy redolent with green cardamoms and fennel, it can push off the centrestage many a pretentious Korma and Kaliya. While we mostly encounter its lamb curry avatar, we recently had an opportunity to savour its stunning vegetarian version at a hotel in Delhi. Rani Jinsi, a gifted homemaker, had laid out a mouth-watering spread where her Aal Nadru Yakhni stole the show. Usually, Pandits from the Valley use either aal, that is bottle gourd, or nadru aka lotus stems to prepare this dish. But Raniji had made use of both to great effect. The recipe is not hard to follow and is immensely satisfying; particularly suited for summer.

Aal Yakhni

Ingredients

Bottle gourd or lauki 500g (peeled and cut into large pieces)

Mustard oil 1/4 cup

Fennel seeds 1tsp (powdered)

Black peppercorns 1 tsp (freshly ground, coarsely)

Asafoetida A pinch

Cumin seed powder 1/2 tsp

Green cardamom seeds 1/2 tsp (crushed)

Cinnamon stick 1 inch 

Cloves 2

Brown cardamom 1

Dried mint leaves 1 tsp

Curd 1 cup whisked

Salt To taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan and fry bottle gourd till it turns golden brown. Remove and drain excess fat on kitchen towels. Put asafoetida and whole spices into the pan. Raise the flame. When these crackle, add the powdered spices; stir briskly and add curd mixed with one cup of water immediately. Add salt and fried bottle gourd. Bring to boil and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook till the gravy thickens to desired consistency. We personally like it slightly thicker than the original Kashmiri version. Crumble the dried mint leaves on top just before serving. If using lotus stems as well, choose slim and tender stems and boil these lightly after scraping. Cut into bite-sized chunks and fry with aal pieces.