Lauki Chana Dal

A delicious and nutritious dal recipe made with Lauki ( bottle gourd) and chana dal (Bengal gram lentil), making it the perfect accompaniment to rice or rotis on busy weeknights. This Lauki Chana Dal recipe is made without any onion or garlic. This can be made in a pressure cooker, Instant Pot or on the stove top.

Course Vegetable Curries

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 218kcal

Author Manju

Ingredients

1 cup chana dal
3 cups water to cook the dal
1 medium lauki / bottle gourd cut into 1 inch cubes
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ tablespoon minced ginger
3 green chillies chopped
salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon asafetida
½ teaspoon cayenne red chilli powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
juice of half a lemon
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

Rinse the chana dal in cold water a few times.

Cooking the Chana Dal

Stovetop pressure Cooker - add the rinsed chana dal with about 3 times the water. For 1 cup chana dal use 3 cups of water. Cook on medium-high heat for about 2-3 whistles. You want the dal to be soft but not too mushy.
1 cup chana dal, 3 cups water
Instant Pot - for Instant Pot Lauki Chana Dal add the rinsed chana dal with 3 times the water. Cook in Manual or Pressure Cook mode on High Pressure for 8 mins. Let the pressure release naturally.
Stove Top - add the rinsed chana dal to a medium pot with about 3-4 times the water. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium or medium-low and cook till the dal is soft. This may take about 30-40 mins. Watch out for the dal frothing and bubbling over the pot. Reduce the heat if this happens.
Once the chana dal is cooked, add the lauki along with turmeric powder, ginger and green chillies and cook again till the lauki is soft. It won’t take a long time, maybe 10 mins or so. Add salt to taste.
1 medium lauki / bottle gourd, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ tablespoon minced ginger, 3 green chillies, salt
In a small sauce pan, heat the oil, add the cumin seeds, asafetida, cayenne and coriander powder.
1 tablespoon oil, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon asafetida, ½ teaspoon cayenne, ½ teaspoon coriander powder
Once the cumin seeds start sizzling, pour them all onto the lauki-dal mixture.
Remove from heat. Squeeze the lemon juice and garnish with cilantro.
juice of half a lemon, ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Notes

Since the chana dal and lauki take different amounts of time to cook, either cook them separately like I do. Cook the chana dal first and then add the lauki and cook for 10 more mins. If not, soak the chana dal in water for about 30 mins and cook the dal and lauki together.
Dals / Lentils have a tendency to induce flatulence and gas upon digestion. The cumin seeds and asafetida in the tadka as well as the ginger added to the dal helps with easy digestion along with the major flavor infusion. So do not skip these.
This recipe of no onion no garlic lauki chana dal is what I have always followed. You can always use garlic and onion in this recipe. I would heat the oil for the tadka in a larger pan and add the onion and garlic to it after the cumin seeds crackle. Once they soften, add everything to the lauki dal mixture.
You can also add a teaspoon garam masala powder at the end if you want more flavor in it.

Nutrition