Bottle gourd (Lauki) rice with chow chow-carrot kootu
Bottle gourd or lauki as it is known in Hindi and sorakkai in Tamil is the main ingredient in this rice variety. This is a pretty bland vegetable, which comes with a lot of health benefits. Like cucumber, bottle gourd has a very high water content, and can therefore be pretty refreshing. It is high in fiber as well.
It is a very versatile vegetable, lending itself, to use in stir-fry's,subji's, parathas, kheer and halwas. I used it in making this simple rice, and made chow chow kooty, to go along with it, for our lunch.
Do try out this rice, and you will not be disappointed.
Ingredients for Bottle gourd rice
Basmati rice- 1 cup
Bottle gourd (lauki)- 1 cup (skin peeled and finely cubed)
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Pulav masala- 1 tsp (I used the MTR brand). Adding it is optional. You may just add chilli powder.
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Ghee- 2 tsps
Notes:
1.Peel the skin of the bottle gourd, remove the seeds, and chop them finely. Keep it ready for use in the rice, after thoroughly rinsing them.
2. Soak the rice in water. A longer soaking time will help in reducing the anti nutrients, like lectins and phytates, found naturally in grains.
Spices for seasoning
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Preparation:
In a kadai, heat 2 tsps of ghee. Add the cumin and fennel seeds. When it crackles, add the chopped lauki cubes. Add salt, turmeric powder , pulav masala (if using) and chilli powder. Add little water, and cook covered over a medium flame for 5 minutes.
Drain the basmati rice, and add it to the pulav with 2 cups of water. Stir well, so that everything gets mixed well together. Cook covered on a medium flame, until done.
Gently fluff the rice with a fork, and serve with any side dish of your choice.
Notes:
1. You can add any other vegetables of your choice. Since lauki is a pretty bland vegetable, it can be combined with any other vegetable.
2. The amount of water to be used, will vary depending on the quality of the rice.
3. Adding pulav masala is optional. I added it for the flavor. This rice will have a great flavor, if you add in the raw spices, after sauteing them in ghee for a couple of seconds.
Chow chow (Chayote squash)-carrot kootu
This is a spicy kootu, which complemented the lauki rice perfectly. I added in some chopped carrots as well. This kootu would be great as a stand alone recipe, for rice and rotis.
You could make this kootu, adding other vegetables, and any combination of dals. I made this kootu with plain toor dal.
Here is the recipe
Ingredients for chow chow-carrot kootu
Toor dal- 1/2 cup
Chow -chow (skin peeled and cubed)- 1/4 cup
Carrot-1/4 cup ( finely chopped)
Salt- to taste
Oil- 2 tsps
Soak the dal for atleast 6-7 hours. A longer soaking time enhances the digestibility and bioavailability of the nutrients. Especially, some folks, with a sensitive digestive system, may be able to tolerate lentils better, if soaked for a longer time, prior to cooking.
Spices for the kootu podi ( to be fried in oil and ground to a paste)
Bengal gram dal- 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds- 1 tbsp
Dried red chilles- 2
Cloves - 2
Cardamom pods- 3 to 4
Grated coconut- 2 tbsps
Fry all the above mentioned ingredients, except grated coconut, in a tsp of oil. Switch off the stove. Add the grated coconut, and let it slightly fry in the heat of the pan. Once, it has cooled down a bit, grind them in a mixer, to a slightly coarse paste. This is the spice blend (kootu podi), that we will be using for this kootu.
Spices for seasoning:
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Preparation:
Pressure cook the toor dal. Once cooked, mash it with the back of the ladle for a smooth texture. Take the chopped chow chow and carrot cubes in a vessel. Add a cup of water and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
In a kadai, heat oil. Add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add the cooked veggies. Add the required salt and the spice blend (kootu podi) already prepared. Stir well, and cook covered for a couple of minutes, until the kootu gets infused with the flavor of the spices.
Add the mashed toor dal. Stir well, and cook for 2- 3 minutes. Switch off the stove.
Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve as is , with rice, or as a side for rotis.
Notes:
1. Do not cook for a long time, after adding toor dal, as this may cause digestive issues.
2. If using only toor dal, it is better to pressure cook it separately, as it does not cook to perfection, if cooked in the same container as other veggies. A combination of toor dal with some other dal, can be cooked together with other veggies, in the same container.
3. Instead of using the kootu podi, sambar podi can be used as well. This podi, with the inclusion of cloves and cardamom, lends a unique flavor to the kootu.
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| Bottle gourd rice with Chow Chow-carrot kootu |
Bottle gourd or lauki as it is known in Hindi and sorakkai in Tamil is the main ingredient in this rice variety. This is a pretty bland vegetable, which comes with a lot of health benefits. Like cucumber, bottle gourd has a very high water content, and can therefore be pretty refreshing. It is high in fiber as well.
It is a very versatile vegetable, lending itself, to use in stir-fry's,subji's, parathas, kheer and halwas. I used it in making this simple rice, and made chow chow kooty, to go along with it, for our lunch.
Do try out this rice, and you will not be disappointed.
Ingredients for Bottle gourd rice
Basmati rice- 1 cup
Bottle gourd (lauki)- 1 cup (skin peeled and finely cubed)
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Pulav masala- 1 tsp (I used the MTR brand). Adding it is optional. You may just add chilli powder.
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Ghee- 2 tsps
Notes:
1.Peel the skin of the bottle gourd, remove the seeds, and chop them finely. Keep it ready for use in the rice, after thoroughly rinsing them.
2. Soak the rice in water. A longer soaking time will help in reducing the anti nutrients, like lectins and phytates, found naturally in grains.
Spices for seasoning
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Preparation:
In a kadai, heat 2 tsps of ghee. Add the cumin and fennel seeds. When it crackles, add the chopped lauki cubes. Add salt, turmeric powder , pulav masala (if using) and chilli powder. Add little water, and cook covered over a medium flame for 5 minutes.
Drain the basmati rice, and add it to the pulav with 2 cups of water. Stir well, so that everything gets mixed well together. Cook covered on a medium flame, until done.
Gently fluff the rice with a fork, and serve with any side dish of your choice.
Notes:
1. You can add any other vegetables of your choice. Since lauki is a pretty bland vegetable, it can be combined with any other vegetable.
2. The amount of water to be used, will vary depending on the quality of the rice.
3. Adding pulav masala is optional. I added it for the flavor. This rice will have a great flavor, if you add in the raw spices, after sauteing them in ghee for a couple of seconds.
Chow chow (Chayote squash)-carrot kootu
This is a spicy kootu, which complemented the lauki rice perfectly. I added in some chopped carrots as well. This kootu would be great as a stand alone recipe, for rice and rotis.
You could make this kootu, adding other vegetables, and any combination of dals. I made this kootu with plain toor dal.
Here is the recipe
Ingredients for chow chow-carrot kootu
Toor dal- 1/2 cup
Chow -chow (skin peeled and cubed)- 1/4 cup
Carrot-1/4 cup ( finely chopped)
Salt- to taste
Oil- 2 tsps
Soak the dal for atleast 6-7 hours. A longer soaking time enhances the digestibility and bioavailability of the nutrients. Especially, some folks, with a sensitive digestive system, may be able to tolerate lentils better, if soaked for a longer time, prior to cooking.
Spices for the kootu podi ( to be fried in oil and ground to a paste)
Bengal gram dal- 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds- 1 tbsp
Dried red chilles- 2
Cloves - 2
Cardamom pods- 3 to 4
Grated coconut- 2 tbsps
Fry all the above mentioned ingredients, except grated coconut, in a tsp of oil. Switch off the stove. Add the grated coconut, and let it slightly fry in the heat of the pan. Once, it has cooled down a bit, grind them in a mixer, to a slightly coarse paste. This is the spice blend (kootu podi), that we will be using for this kootu.
Spices for seasoning:
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Preparation:
Pressure cook the toor dal. Once cooked, mash it with the back of the ladle for a smooth texture. Take the chopped chow chow and carrot cubes in a vessel. Add a cup of water and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
In a kadai, heat oil. Add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add the cooked veggies. Add the required salt and the spice blend (kootu podi) already prepared. Stir well, and cook covered for a couple of minutes, until the kootu gets infused with the flavor of the spices.
Add the mashed toor dal. Stir well, and cook for 2- 3 minutes. Switch off the stove.
Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve as is , with rice, or as a side for rotis.
Notes:
1. Do not cook for a long time, after adding toor dal, as this may cause digestive issues.
2. If using only toor dal, it is better to pressure cook it separately, as it does not cook to perfection, if cooked in the same container as other veggies. A combination of toor dal with some other dal, can be cooked together with other veggies, in the same container.
3. Instead of using the kootu podi, sambar podi can be used as well. This podi, with the inclusion of cloves and cardamom, lends a unique flavor to the kootu.
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