Bottle gourd to beat the heat

Pushpesh Pant

Poor bottle gourd! It is, to our mind, one of the most underrated of vegetables. Perhaps, the reason it is looked down upon is that often in the past it could be acquired for ‘free’ — in countless villages it has grown on vines sprawling over thatched roof or in the backyard. For the affluent, this squash is only to be suffered when the stomach is upset or someone aged or infirm is prescribed a light, insipid diet.

However, there are delicacies like the Kashmiri dum ki lauki, al yakhni or lauki musallam lazeez from Awadh, al ke sule from the princely kitchens of Rajasthan and sweets like lauki ke lachhe, lauki ki kheer and lauki ka halwa; not to forget the now slightly out-of-fashion lauki ke kofte. However, these are seen as pretentious innovations of exhibitionist chefs trying to appropriate traditional home recipes and tweaking them to dazzle a new generation of customers who have never tasted family heirlooms and have adopted vegetarianism — even if temporarily — with vengeance. But we digress.

We were reminded of this almost forgotten recipe as the summer becomes increasingly trying, and the fish, according to popular dictum, is to be avoided in months that don’t have an ‘R’ in their name. We cooked this last week when temperature in the Capital had shot past 47ºC and were refreshed when paired this with phulka. You could substitute it with steamed rice. And, don’t be scared by the scarlet hue. It’s just the blush of Kashmiri red chillies.

Lauki ka korma

Ingredients
Bottle gourd 500-600 g
Curd 100 ml
Onion 1
Garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Ginger paste 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf 1
Cinnamon stick 1×2 inch
Cloves 2
Brown cardamom 1
Black peppercorns 4-5
Kashmiri red chilli powder 1-1/2 tsp
Red/yellow chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Cumin seeds powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Aromatic garam masala 1/2 tsp
Ghee/mustard oil 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

• Peel the gourd and core. Cut in large thick chunks, about 3×2 inches. Keep aside. Peel the onions and slice finely or grate. Whisk the curds.
• Heat ghee/oil in a thick-bottomed pan and put in the bay leaf and the whole spices.
• When these begin to crackle, add the onions and stir-fry on medium flame till these turn golden, but are not brown.
• Add garlic-ginger pastes and continue stir-frying for another minute. Sprinkle a few drops of water. If the onions stick to the pan, you can sprinkle a few more drops.
• Add gourd chunks and all the powdered spices (except garam masala), along with the salt.
• Cook for 10 minutes on low-medium flame partially covered. Stir gently.
• Mix a spoonful of water with the curds. Pour it in a slow steady stream and continue stirring briskly.
• Cook till the raw smell of curds is gone and the masala separates from the fat. Sprinkle garam masala just before serving.