Lau'er Dal & Khosha Bhaja on the side ( Bottle Gourd or Lauki )

In Bengali cuisine , seldom does anything come into the kitchen and get wasted. Tradition has handed down these unique household recipe innovations , where practically every part of a protein or vegetable , which is otherwise conjectured as a waste , is assembled back into a dish . The end outcome , is always pleasantly surprising . Vegetable skin is either blitzed to make piquant pâté ( Bata ) or fried together with other taste enhancers to evolutionize the so called ' waste ' into a stunner dish . Paired together with steamed rice , these simple make together's , beautifully partner with one another and make a sing song on the palette. This week , i am going to share with you these two very soul pleasing pairings made with the humble Lau or bottle gourd . I have not seen this being made in many Bengali households these days as well and thus thought of doing a quick recap on the Blog ! Happy to share the Lau 'er dal and Lau'er khosha bhaja . Take a look !

Things you will need to make the Lau'er Dal :

• 01 cup yellow moong dal

• 1 medium bottle gourd - peeled and cut into medium cubes ( Preserve the peel )

• 01 tsp panch phoron

• 01 tsp turmeric powder

• 2 bay leaves and 2-3 green chillies -slit

• 02 tbsp mustard oil

• 01 tsp finely chopped ginger

• 01 tsp ghee

• Salt to taste

Steps to follow :

• Dry roast the dal in a pressure cooker till you see nice blush pink color . Once done , wash the roasted moong dal in running water , sprinkle the turmeric powder and pressure cook it with 1 whistle , along with 02 cups of water . Do not leave the dal unattended during the roasting process , as you will risk burning the same .

• In a separate pan , pour some water and boil the bottle gourd pieces for 15 mins and keep aside - We advice not to pressure cook the gourd along with the dal , as otherwise it will over cook itself and become a mush .

• Heat the mustard oil in a pan and temper it with the panch phoron , bay leaves and green chillies. Carefully pour the cooked dal along with boiled bottle gourd into the pan. Add a cup or so of warm water to get your desired consistency in the lentil .

• Sprinkle salt and simmer for 3-5 odd minutes.

• Finish off with a drizzle of ghee and finely chopped ginger.

Khosha Bhaja

Things you will need to make the Khosha Bhaja

• The peel of the bottle gourd , finely julienned

• 01 tsp poppy seeds

• 01 /2 tsp turmeric

• 02 tsp mustard Oil

• Salt to taste

Steps to follow :

• In a pan , heat the oil and add the bottle gourd peel along with turmeric and salt.

• Cover cook the peel on low flame for 10-15 mins till softened.

• Once done , add the poppy seeds and roast along with the peel on medium heat , stirring continuously till you get a nice crispy texture .

• Enjoy as a side , along with the steamed rice and dal !