Potatoes in Lauki/ or Courgette sauce
Hanging on climbers with large leaves and enchanting white flowers that open in the evenings, the Lauki/ bottle gourd gets pollinated during the night. The nearly meter-long green fruits could feed a large family. The newer varieties cultivated now have smaller tender fruits.
This is an alkaline, juicy vegetable, often recommended by Ayurveda to be included in the diet for its cooling and cleansing properties. Used all over India, Lauki being neutral in taste, can be cooked in a variety of recipes.
If the Lauki is a bit older, the seeds that are larger and embedded in a spongy membrane are mixed with a seasoned besan- chickpea batter and fried into delicious fritters.
I love Lauki, but often in The Netherlands, I have no access to it. What I do have access to is a glut of overgrown courgettes from my own or those from the garden of my friends. These I turn into delicious curries to replace the Lauki I miss! The taste and mouthfeel being the same, one hardly notices the difference.
One of my favourites is this Lauki Aloo from North India. I just love it with chapatti, poori, or just on warm rice. In this recipe, you can use a courgette to replace the Lauki to make the sauce.
For 4 persons. 1 cup = 240 ml/ 1 tbsp = 15 ml/ 1 tsp = 5 ml.
| 250 g baby potatoes / small potatoes | |
| 400g / 1 large courgette | |
| 2 tbsp oil + 2 tsp to add if needed | |
| ½ tsp each: cumin seeds and mustard seeds | |
| 4 cloves | |
| ½ tsp fennel seeds/ saunf | |
| ¼ tsp asafoetida | |
| 2 medium size onions, cut into small dice | |
| 1 tbsp ginger + garlic paste | |
| ½ tsp turmeric powder | |
| 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder | |
| ½ tsp chilli powder | |
| ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper powder | |
| 2 large tomatoes, cut into small cubes | |
| 1 tbsp jaggery or raw cane sugar | |
| ½- ¾ cup of water | |
| 1 tsp salt | |
| 1 tsp ghee to finish | |
| 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander |
Potatoes in Lauki/ or Courgette sauce Hanging on climbers with large leaves and enchanting white flowers that open in the evenings, the Lauki/ bottle gourd gets pollinated during the night. The nearly meter-long green fruits could feed a large family. The newer varieties cultivated now have smaller tender fruits. This is an alkaline, juicy vegetable,...
| 1. | Boil the potatoes for 10 -15 mins in water till cooked. Cool & peel. If using small potatoes, cut them in half. |
| 2. | Cut off the two ends of the courgette. With a peeler, peel off strips, so you have a strip with skin and one-off. This helps it to cook evenly. Cut the courgette vertically in quarters, then into 2 cm cubes. |
| 3. | In a wide pan, heat the oil. Fry the boiled potatoes on a medium-high flame, till they colour slightly. Remove to a plate. |
| 4. | Check if there is enough oil or add a tsp or two. |
| 5. | Heat the oil again, when hot, add the whole spices- cumin, mustard, fennel seeds, and cloves. |
| 6. | Fry a few seconds till they swell, add the asafoetida, reduce heat and add the onions. |
| 7. | Saute the onions till they are soft and slightly golden. |
| 8. | Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir-fry some more till the raw smell is no more. |
| 9. | Add the turmeric, coriander-cumin, chili, and pepper powders. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the tomatoes and the jaggery/ sugar. |
| 10. | On low heat, sautée the mixture till the tomatoes become soft. |
| 11. | Add the courgette cubes and ½ cup of water. Increase the heat, bring to a boil, cover the pan, lower the heat, and cook for about 10 minutes till the courgette is soft. Add more water if needed to have a sauce-like consistency. |
| 12. | Using a potato masher, roughly mash the courgettes. Add the salt and potatoes, and mix through. |
| 13. | Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes. |
| 14. | Add the ghee and the chopped coriander. |
| 15. | Serve warm with flatbread, Naan or roti, or rice. |
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