Quick & Healthy Andhra-Style Lauki DalVeg
Enjoy this wholesome and flavorful Andhra-style Lauki Dal, a perfect one-pot meal that's both healthy and easy to make in just 30 minutes. This dish combines nutritious bottle gourd with tender toor dal, aromatic spices, and a tangy hint of tamarind. Finished with a traditional ghee-based tempering of mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin, garlic, and red chilies, it pairs beautifully with steaming hot rice or chapati. A comforting, hydrating, and delicious choice for any lunch or dinner!
Ingredients
For the Dal:
1 cup Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal)
1 medium Bottle Gourd (peeled and chopped)
1 large Onion (finely chopped)
1 large Tomato (finely chopped)
3 nos. Green Chilli (roughly chopped)
10 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Rock Salt
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 small Tamarind
as needed Water
For the Tempering:
1 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
1 tsp Black Gram (Urad Dal)
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
5 cloves Garlic
2 nos. Red Chilli
1 tsp Asafoetida Powder (Hing)
few Curry Leaves
For garnishing Coriander Leaves (finely chopped)
Instructions
Step 1— Preparing the Dal and Vegetables
1
In a pressure cooker, add the washed and cleaned toor dal.
2
Add the peeled and medium-diced bottle gourd, finely chopped onion, finely chopped tomato, roughly cut green chilies, and whole garlic cloves.
3
Add rock salt (or table salt), turmeric powder, red chili powder, and the tamarind bits.
4
Pour just enough water to immerse all the ingredients—be careful not to add too much, as the bottle gourd will release moisture while cooking.
5
Close the cooker and cook on medium flame for four whistles.
6
Once the pressure releases naturally, open the lid and gently mash the cooked dal and vegetables using a spatula or ladle to achieve your desired consistency.
Step 2— Preparing the Tempering
1
In a separate small tempering pan, heat the ghee.
2
Add the urad dal, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds. Sauté until the mustard seeds begin to splutter.
3
Turn off the heat and add the pounded garlic, broken red chilies, hing (asafoetida), and curry leaves. Sauté briefly until the garlic is fragrant.
4
Pour this aromatic tempering into the cooked dal in the pressure cooker and mix everything well.
5
Transfer the dal to a serving bowl, garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves, and serve hot with plain rice or chapati.
