Bottle Gourd (Or Courgette) Curry With Punjabi Baries (Spicy Lentil Dumplings)
Lauki aur Bari/Vadies/Badies ki Sabji
Mamta Gupta
Lauki or Dudhi or Ghia, botanical name Lagenaria siceraria, is a North Indian Sweet Gourd, also known as Bottle Gourd, White-flowered gourd and Calabash gourd. It is from Cucurbitaceae or cucumber family. It is light green in colour, with smooth texture. It has a slightly silkier texture than a courgette. You can make this dish with courgettes as well. Adjust the cooking time, because courgettes cooked a little faster than bottle gourd. You can cook a bottle gourd without a pressure cooker, but make sure that Baries are cooked through.
When fully mature, its fibrous texture is used as Loofah. Addition of fiery hot Bari or Lentil Dumpling to it gives this dish a rather exotic taste. The sound 'ri' of bari is pronounced somewhere between a 'd' and an 'r'.
When buying, ask for 'Punjabi bari'.
Serves 3-4
Edited February 2024
Ingredients
500 gm. fresh lauki or bottle/gourd (one medium sized lauki)
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 tea cup Baries (approximately 6-7 small baries), broken up. You can make your own Bari or Lentil Dumpling during summer months, but it is easier to buy ready made.
1 tsp. cumin seeds
A large pinch of asafoetida or hing powder
20 gm or 1 heaped tsp. grated ginger
1 medium onion, finely chopped (can be omitted)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
A couple of fresh red or green chillies sliced. Red one look nicer
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1/6 tsp. or less chilli powder, adjust according to taste
A handful of fresh coriander leaves, washed and chopped (optional)
Instructions
Wash, peel and slice lauki into 2 inch/5 cm cubes.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker or heavy bottomed pan.
Add broken up burries and stir-fry them for a minute or so, until they look a little darker, but not blackened. Take out and keep aside.
Add cumin seeds and asafoetida powder and let seeds splutter.
Add ginger and fry for a few seconds.
Add chopped onions and stir-fry until golden in colour.
Add tomatoes, sliced green/red chillies, salt and all the spices. Cook until tomatoes are mashed and become like a paste.
Add Lauki and stir fry for a few minutes.
Add Baries and stir them in.
Add 3-4 tbsp. water, close the lid and pressure cook for 2 pressures or 2-4 minutes. If you do not have a pressure cooker, cook covered on low/medium heat, until tender. You may need to add some more water, to keep it from burning. Fresh and tender. Generally, fresh lauki cooks very quickly but you cannot always get fresh ones in UK, unless you grow your own. That is the reason I cook it in a pressure cooker.
Allow the cooker to cool, before opening.
Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves, with Chapatties or Plain Parathas.
