Friday 27 January 2012

Lauki Lazzatdar

I hated lauki as a child. All kids do. Then ma came up with 'chokher jyoti bhalo hoye , chool bhalo hoye'(good for the eyes, good for hair) in lauki's honour. I was not convinced. That did not stop her from feeding us with the harmless veggie though. That was the thing with disciplining those days. You were not given too many choices. If there was food on the table, you had to eat it.Period.


I am aghast at the options available to children these days & the tantrums they get away with. The apparent  emancipation of women has resulted in the parents unable to spend too much time with the kids and giving in to their demands all too easily, to make up for their absence. Wherever we are heading as a civilization only time will tell...


Meanwhile it took me a life threatening surgery to take stalk of where I was headed. I took to pranayam & vegetarianism with a vengeance. And never looked back. That was three years ago. Since then, I've had more lauki in my life than all my lifetimes put together :) 
Thank you Baba Ramdev.


Not only have I come to love it, I even recommend it to people for reasons of health. And happiness. Nobody gets a size zero by eating pizzas, wassay ;)


Try this recipe. Simple. Tasty. Healthy. Lauki Lazzatdar for you, ladies,gentlemen & kids!




Ingredients: 
1. 1 small lauki(or 1/2 if you wish)
2. One medium/large potato
3. 1 tomato
4. Whole green chilli/Red chilli powder
5. Zeera(cumin seeds)-1/4 teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder
7. Garam masala powder-1/4 teaspoon
8. Salt to tast
9. Oil to cook






Peel the lauki & potato. I used half lauki to serve three.Cut them into cubes & soak them in water till your oil heats up.





In the hot oil, add zeera till it crackles.







Fry the potato cubes for 2 mins & then add the lauki pieces.






Add the red chilli powder. I used Kashmiri Red Mirch powder which gives more colour than pungency. 




Add the tomato cubes & fry for 2 mins.


Add 1/4 teaspoon of garam masala. 

This is the purest garam masala powder I'm  using. My masi sent it all the way from Delhi. The man grinds the masala in front for you so you can't be fooled into buying fake spices.
The aroma of your dish once you add this is hard to describe.




                                                                                 


Fry all the ingredients, add salt, & give 
the cooker 2 whistles, one at high , one at 
medium.
Serve hot with chappati/ pitta bread.
The reddish colour of the otherwise bland dish is thanks to the tomato & kashmiri mirch. The dhaba look of the dish makes it more palatable for the family. And earns you kudos!
Go green , people! 





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