Lauki Khichdi | Bottle Gourd Khichdi Recipe | One Pot Gluten Free Recipe

 

 Hi Supermoms,

I often resort to comfort desi foods or Pasta 😁. One of my favorite comfort meal is our own “super food”, the "Khichdi". I love my Khichdi with potatoes or fresh seasonal vegetables like carrots, peas, Bottle-gourd etc. Yes, you read it right! Bottle-gourd or what is popularly called Lauki makes an excellent Khichdi ingredient.

Winter has set in and the vegetables are so fresh. The lauki that you get these days are so tasty. I made a very cheerful, soulful bowl of Lauki Khichdi, the recipe of which I am sharing in this blog. This Khichdi is not only soothing to your stomach but will also cleanse your palate especially when you have been eating outside food for many days in a row and longing for a home cooked meal.

The best part is that it requires very less effort to cook it. I made a quick one pot meal and enjoyed with lots of ghee, papad , achaar/pickle and dahi/curd. I am always generous with my ghee😀, how about you?

I know that some of you think that Khichdi is boring, bland or tasteless. Just try making this Khichdi. You will love it. 

If you do not have bottle gourd in your pantry, try using potatoes or carrots. You can make the simple plain  version with just a tadka / tempering if you don’t want any veggies in your Khichdi.

Go ahead and make yourself this superfood.

Lauki Khichdi By Masterchefmom

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves- 2-3

1 cup = 100 ml cup

Ingredients:

2 cups bottle gourd/lauki ( peeled and chopped into small pieces)

1 cup raw rice 

1/2 cup yellow moong dal

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

handful of coriander leaves(finely chopped)

salt to taste

To Temper:

2-3 tsp ghee

1/2 tsp jeera/cumin seeds

large pinch asafoetida/hing

2-3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1-2 green chilli 

1 sprig curry leaves

Important Note : If you are vegan, substitute ghee with coconut oil.

Pre-Work:

1. Take one cup rice and 1/2 cup moong dal in a bowl and wash it at least 2 times. Drain excess water and set it aside. You can also add 6 cups water to the mixture and allow it to soak. Adjust water quantity depending upon the type of rice you are using.

2. Peel the bottle gourd and chop them into smaller pieces. This way, it melts in the mouth when you eat. 

3. Finely chop garlic. You can use both red and green chilli for this khichdi. It is surely a personal choice. The green chillies I get now are really spicy. So, just one green chilli was sufficient. Also, I do not chop or make a slit in the chilli. The khichdi has to be soothing both to the palette and stomach😀. So, I kept the khichdi mildly spicy. This way, it appeals to everyone in the family. 

Now that everything is ready, let's start cooking the Lauki Khichdi..

Method:

1.  Heat  pressure cooker with ghee.

2. Temper with ingredients given under "To temper".

3. Add the washed rice and dal mixture with water. If haven't soaked the dal, rice mixture, just add  water ( 2.5 times the quantity of rice and dal)

4. Add salt and half the quantity of coriander leaves.

5. Pressure cook on low/medium flame for 3-4 whistles. 

6. Switch off.

7. Once the pressure releases, open and add the remaining coriander leaves and mix/slightly mash the khichdi using the back of the ladle.

Chef tips: If the khichdi is slightly dry and you like it to be more mushy , add 1/4 cup hot water and place the cooker on flame, mix for 1-2 minutes and switch off. 

Your delicious Lauki Khichdi is now ready to be served! You can add a dollop of ghee when you are serving it along with papad, pickle and curd.

This is truly a divine combo. A must try!

Do try and share your feedback with me.

Happy Cooking!

With love,

Masterchefmom