About The Author
Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!
Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.
Unlike the crispy potato peels, I did have this dish during my growing up years.
Dad would bring bottle gourds for a simple curry, and we would relish the peels that she stir-fried using a mustard tempering. And just before putting off the flame, she would add a pinch of sugar that transformed the dish, which we would relish with rice.
The peels of bottle gourd are firm when raw, and delicious when you cook them with some sugar. The sugar permeates the peel and gives it a delicious flavour.
Most households in India make a bottle gourd curry every alternate week, if not every week. An average-sized bottle gourd can yield two cups of peels which are mostly thrown away into the bin.
In my reuse, no-waste series, bottle gourd peels are thus very important!
Now there can be multiple ways to use it and I have just explored the simplest of it. You can also cook these peels in a mild mustard gravy or coconut milk. Tastes heavenly!
Note
The equipment & ingredient quantity provided in this recipe is to assist you in cooking this dish. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. Remember that we all have different set, size & shape of kitchen tools in our pantry.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Wok
- Knife
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 2 cups bottle gourd or lau (lauki) peels
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut you can use fresh ground coconut also
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 pc green chilly
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt or to taste
Instructions
- Cut the peels thin, check the image to get an idea
- Slit the green chilly and keep aside
- In the wok, add water and pour in the peels. On a medium flame, allow to blanch for 2 minutes
- Discard the water and separate the blanched bottle gourd or lau (lauki) peels
- Heat a wok and add the oil to it
- Once the oil starts smoking, ensure that the flame is set to medium
- Add the cumin seeds
- Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the bottle gourd or lau (lauki) peels and stir
- Allow to cook for a 5 minutes
- Add turmeric and red chilly powder, coconut powder, salt, sugar and stir to coat the peels
- Cover and cook for 6-7 more minutes, and occasionally uncover to give the peels a nice stir
- Put off the flame and serve hot with steaming rice
Notes
- When you use bottle gourd or lau (lauki) in your curries, do not throw away the peel. Wash, dry and store them in a container. Refrigerate for future use
- You can either fry the peels to crispy or keep them soft. I keep it in between.
- You may also toss some finely slit tomatoes and julienned ginger for added flavors. I love to keep it simple