Split Green Gram- Bottle Gourd Masala Curry.

“Split Green Gram (Moong Dal with skin)- Bottle Gourd (Lauki/ Gardudde) Masala Curry” … a simple healthy bhaji/ side dish that tastes awesome served with roti/ phulkas/ chapati/ parathas/ dosa etc … Yummilicious …

** There are times when one wants to go light on food yet it has to be nutritious enough to promote good health. Split green gram with skin is available almost everywhere and they are healthier than plain moong dal and again, there are plenty of tasty recipes that can be prepared with these. Gardudde (in konkani) ie bottle gourd/ lauki is a veggie that adapts very well when added to pulses or be it other veggies. Also, being high in water content not only is is good on tummy but healthy too. Prepared this simple bhaji to be served with phulkas and it tasted awesome, simple yet tasty.

** Here is my recipe for “Split Green Gram (Moong Dal with skin)- Bottle Gourd (Lauki/ Gardudde) Masala Curry” … my style ….

** Wash one cup of split green gram/ moong dal with skin and soak in plenty of water for 10-15 minutes. Once again wash well and add it in a pressure cooker pan along with 1.5 cups of water and pressure cook on medium heat for 2-3 whistles. Remove and keep it aside and let the pressure fall on its own.

** Peel outer skin of bottle gourd/ gardudde/ lauki and cut into 1 inch sized cubes (about 2-3 cups of cut pieces). Wash, put in kadai along with one cup of water, bring to boil, then lower heat to minimum and let cook 75% (do not overcook). Add cooked split moong dal along with water as is necessary, mix well and let simmer on low heat.

** Heat 1 tblsp ghee/ toop and 1 tblsp of oil together in a small pan, when hot add in 1 tsp of mustard seeds (sasam/ rai), when it splutters add ½ tsp hing (asafoetida) powder, 8-10 fresh curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu) and 3 tsp of any curry masala powder (I added malvani masala), fry for a minute and pour over simmering curry.

** Add salt (namak/ meeta) to taste, a few kokam petals or a pinch of tamarind paste as it enhances the taste and mix all well together and continue to simmer till the bottle gourd is cooked and done. Also do check the consistency and add water only if required, remember this is a semi thick textured curry so be careful with water.

** Remove and keep aside for 20 minutes for flavors to seep in. Do not add excess water while cooking as you can always add in hot water, mix well just before serving if necessary. You can also garnish with a tablespoon of freshly grated coconut/ soyi/ nariyal as it tastes good, I skipped it this time as I did not have any.

** “Split Green Gram (Moong Dal with skin)- Bottle Gourd (Lauki/ Gardudde) Masala Curry” is done and ready to be served. This is a side dish that goes well when served with phulka, roti, poori, chapati, parathas or even dosas. In my home I serve it for lunch with roti and keep aside some to be served with dosa for breakfast next day.

** A simple bhaji yet that which is healthy and tasty and easy to prepare. As mentioned already, you can use any masala powder available in your kitchen like pav bhaji, curry masala, chole, sambar etc. I am very fond of malvani masala powder and use it often in my curries as I find it imparts a lovely taste to dishes, try it once for sure.