Source: Wikimedia_Calabash_(Lagenaria_siceraria)_in_Seoul
Find out about the various ways to cook bottle gourd. You will be surprised to find out how versatile this vegetable is.
I don’t know a lot of people who like eating bottle gourds. And it always makes me wonder why. Bottle gourds are extremely versatile and nutritious. They have been incorporated into multiple cuisines and made into a wide variety of tasty dishes.
These green vegetables are known by various names- lauki, calabash, opo squash, and more. This veggie is a very rich source of vitamin C, vitamin B and many more nutrients, and offers immunity against diseases like asthma, fever, and common cold. What makes it more fun is its shape! Bottle Gourds can be bottle, oval and even dumbbell shaped!
And it can be cooked in every way possible. 😀
As a sweet
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Halwa_Kashi_Sweets_of_India.jpg
This vegetable- that’s right, a vegetable– can be cooked as a dessert. Cuisines from India, Bangladesh, Mauritius, and the Middle East have their own versions of a bottle gourd dessert. And all of these are extremely tasty.
In Bangladesh, bottle gourd is grated, then mixed with rice flour, rolled into dumplings, and boiled in milk with jaggery, grated coconut, and cardamom. These small dumplings are called Dudhi Pithe and are eaten as soon as they cool down. Another version of this grated bottle gourd dessert is Lauki ka halwa which is native to India. The only difference is that the grated vegetable isn’t rolled into small dumplings and just cooked in milk until it gets ready.
We also have barfi from Mauritius and India which is a sweet prepared after the milk and bottle gourd mixture is shaped into cubes. The outer layer has a grainy texture while the inside is fudgy and soft.
A different dessert is the Gil-E-Firdaus which is made after roasting grated or thinly sliced bottle gourd in ghee and then cooked in milk. Side by side, we let washed rice dry and ground it into coarse powder. This powder is mixed with bottle gourd in the milk and cooked until it gets thickened. As soon as it is done cooking, we can garnish this with golden fried almonds.
As a salad
Source: https://www.pickpik.com/zucchini-melon-apple-pomegranate-salad-fruit-54682
This recipe is much easier. You cut the bottle gourd into thin slices along with some other vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, onions, or any other vegetable you like eating in a salad. Then, you get the dressing ready and finish your special salad.
It’s a good one because we all know how important and good salads can be for health. Eating a salad regularly can improve gut health, heart health, support weight loss, and its good for your skin too.
As a side dish
This vegetable can even be cooked as a side dish! In Italy, we have a traditional Neapolitan recipe where we fry dried bottle guards/zucchinis in olive oil and then season it with vinegar, garlic, and mint. This is a very popular side dish known as Zucchini alla scapece and is served with meat main courses. Another recommendation is to eat it with cheeses and cured meat as this combo becomes a very good appetizer to start with.
Another delicious side dish is Lauki ka Raita again from India. Raitas can be made from vegetables like onion and cucumber as well, and are served in summers because of how refreshing they are. Lauki ka raita is made by shredding or grating the vegetable and then, boiling in water. You can add salt to it while it’s boiling. Keep at it until the Lauki softens. Strain it once it’s done and then, mix this boiled Lauki with curd and spices. If you want, you can also add green chilies and cilantro as well. With this, your raita is done and ready for eating!
As a main course dish
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lauki_Kofta_Curry.JPG
Other than side dishes and salads, Bottle Gourd is also cooked as the main course item. From India, we have Lauki ka kofta and Lauki ki sabzi which are both eaten with roti for the main course. These are recipes involve cooking bottle gourd with a blend of spices until it softens.
We have the Calabaza con Pollo from the Caribbean. In this recipe, you have to first cook your chicken pieces as you normally would and then add bottle gourd along with sautéed onions and spices.
In Thai cuisine, there is the Opo Squash Stir-Fry in which the bottle gourd is peeled, cut, and stir-fried with garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch slurry in hot oil. Kousa mahshi is a recipe for stuffed Bottle Guard. Each country in the middle east has their own methods of cooking it but the essence is the same. Here, we stuff the veggie with rice or meat or any other vegan\vegetarian option you may prefer and then cook it in a tomato sauce with hints of garlic and mint mixed into it.
As a soup
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sarverr62/17210388620/
Last and most definitely not the least, we have bottle gourd soups! These are found in every other food culture because of their rich, savoury flavour.
You can go to the Caribbean and try out their bottle gourd and coconut milk soup. Thai people also have their own version of this soup where they also like to cook the bottle gourd in coconut milk. Or you can go to the Middle East and other countries in the south Asian circuit to have some lentil and bottle gourd soup.
After this, your next stop should be Japan where they like to cook Kabocha and Bottle Gourd soup. And finally, we can also try the Chinese version of the bottle gourd soup. All in all, we have tons of recipes to try out by using this awesome vegetable.
Which one did you like the best?
Resources
- Dr Rajeev Singh. (2022, July 22). Bottle Gourd (Lauki): Uses, Benefits, Side Effects and More! PharmEasy Blog. https://pharmeasy.in/blog/ayurveda-uses-benefits-side-effects-of-bottle-gourd/
As a sweet
- Kitchen, H. (2022, July 28). Lauki Ki Barfi Recipe – No Mawa Mithai | Ghiya Ki Barfi | Bottle Gourd Burfi. Hebbar’s Kitchen. https://hebbarskitchen.com/lauki-ki-barfi-recipe-ghiya-ki-barfi/
- Amit, D. (2021, July 2). Lauki Halwa (Bottle Gourd Halwa). Dassana’s Veg Recipes; Veg Recipes. https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/lauki-halwa-dudhi-halwa/
- Rumki’s Golden Spoon. (2023, January 12). Dudh puli pitha recipe | Doodh puli | How to make dudh puli. Rumki’s Golden Spoon – Mouth Watering Recipes with Step Wise Photos and Instructions; Rumki’s Golden Spoon. https://rumkisgoldenspoon.com/dudh-puli-pitha-recipe/
- Karim, L. (2015, December 25). Archana’s Kitchen – Simple Recipes & Cooking Ideas. Archana’s Kitchen. https://www.archanaskitchen.com/gil-e-firdaus-recipe-creamy-sweet-bottlegourd-dessert
As a salad
- (2011, February 21). Livestrong.com. https://www.livestrong.com/article/386542-what-are-the-benefits-of-eating-salads/
As a side dish
- Amit, D. (2021, January 18). Lauki ka Raita (Bottle Gourd Raita). Dassana’s Veg Recipes; Veg Recipes. https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/lauki-raita-recipe-dudhi-raita/
- Nava, S. (2023, May 11). Zucchine alla Scapece (Fried Zucchini with Mint and Vinegar). Recipes from Italy. https://www.recipesfromitaly.com/zucchine-alla-scapece/
- Martha. (2021, August 11). Zucchini Alla Scapece. A Family Feast®. https://www.afamilyfeast.com/zucchini-alla-scapece/
As a main course dish
- Tamara. (2016, January 16). Thai Curried Opo Squash and Peppers. Beyond Mere Sustenance. https://beyondmeresustenance.com/thai-curried-opo-squash-peppers/
- Amit, D. (2022, December 17). Lauki Kofta | Lauki ke Kofte. Dassana’s Veg Recipes; Veg Recipes. https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/lauki-kofta-lauki-kofta-curry/
- mari9807 (2024). Calabaza Con Pollo (Calabaza Squash and Chicken). Allrecipes. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/281698/calabaza-con-pollo-calabaza-squash-and-chicken/
- Kitchen, H. (2024, March 14). Lauki Ki Sabji Recipe | Ghiya Ki Sabji | Bottle Gourd Curry. Hebbar’s Kitchen. https://hebbarskitchen.com/lauki-ki-sabji-recipe-ghiya-sabzi/
- Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed zucchini) by Zaatar and Zaytoun. (2020, June 14). Zaatar & Zaytoun. https://zaatarandzaytoun.com/kousa-mahshi/
As a soup
- Plate, T. (2023). Bottle gourd Soup | Healthy Soup For Weight Loss | Diet Soup Recipe | The Plate [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW7c_cCXWao
- Hemapriya (2021, February 10). Red lentil Bottle Gourd Soup. My Little Moppet. https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/red-lentil-bottle-gourd-soup/
- Chen, N. (2016, November 11). Kabocha Soup (Video) かぼちゃスープ. Just One Cookbook. https://www.justonecookbook.com/kabocha-squash-soup/
- Joy Ann David. (2024, March 6). Bottle Gourd Soup Chinese Recipe: A Bowl of Comfort Awaits. Seaco Online; Seaco Online. https://seaco-online.com/blogs/recipes/bottle-gourd-soup-chinese-recipe-a-bowl-of-comfort-awaits
