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Lau ghonto
Bottle gourd with moong dal
Lau ghonto (লাউ ঘন্ট): Bengali grated bottle gourd cooked soft with roasted moong dal
Lau ghonto is a gentle summer dish from Dhaka and Kolkata kitchens, served in the first courses of a Bengali lunch with plain rice, when the bottle gourds are young and sweet. The gourd is grated, cooked down in its own juice with a handful of roasted moong dal, ginger and a little cumin until soft and almost creamy, and seasoned with a pinch of sugar. It is light, about 190 kcal a portion, and gives about 8 g of protein from the moong dal, so it is a vegetable side rather than a protein dish and is not tagged High protein. The most common mistake is adding water: bottle gourd releases plenty of its own, and extra water turns the ghonto into a soup. Chef's tip: choose a gourd that feels heavy, with pale, fuzzy skin you can dent with a fingernail; older gourds have hard seeds and turn bitter.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz split yellow moong dal
- 2 ¼ lb bottle gourd (lau)1 young gourd, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 ½ tbsp mustard oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green chilliesslit
- ½ oz fresh gingergrated
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- ⅓ oz coriander leaves (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Dry-roast 3 ½ oz split yellow moong dal in a heavy pan over a medium-low heat, stirring, for 5–6 minutes until pale gold and nutty. Rinse it, cover with 300 ml water and simmer for 10 minutes until just tender but still holding its shape. Drain.
16 minStep 2: Heat 1 ½ tbsp mustard oil in a wide pan until it shimmers, then lower the heat. Add 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp cumin seeds and 2 green chillies and fry until the cumin crackles.
1 minStep 3: Add 2 ¼ lb bottle gourd (lau), ½ oz fresh ginger, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Stir well, cover and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes; the gourd will release a lot of juice.
10 minStep 4: Add the moong dal, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp sugar. Cook uncovered for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid has almost all evaporated and the gourd is soft, translucent and clinging together.
10 minStep 5: Scatter over ⅓ oz coriander leaves if using and serve warm with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lau ghonto take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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