Lau r khosa Bata( Bengali style Mashed bottle gourd peel)

          

Lau r Khosa Bata:

Bottle gourd which is Lau in Bengali is a major vegetable in our Bengali cuisine. It contains lots of water which is very essential in tropical countries. It has health benefits too, full of vitamins and minerals, and very low in calories. Bengali people love to make various dishes out of it. This is a creeper or climbing plants which produce husky green leaves, bear fruits after 75 days of the plantation. The fruit is light green oval, sometimes like a big pear shape or long tube-like. Every part of this plant is used. We make tender stems as a vegetable dish mixing with other vegetables, flower as batter fry, and various dishes with the vegetable and peel of this vegetable also can be cut sliced as julienne and stir fry which is very tasty. I always used to make that coz my family love that dish. But this time I thought to make it different.

Mashed peel fry(bata in Bengali)is very popular in Bengali cuisine. We used to make mashed peel fry of Point gourd, plantain and so today I prepared mashed bottle gourd peel fry.

A very simple recipe yet tastes so good, it enhances taste buds.

For making this dish we need to peel out the bottle gourd peel thick than usual. Then cut into small pieces and make a paste in a grinder with chili and garlic. After that fry the paste with some spices. Doesn't it awesome? My family loved it, hope you folks will love it too.

       

Course - Side dish

Author - Usashi Mandal
Dish - Bengali
Serves - 4
Preparation time - 20 minutes 
Cooking time - 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups of bottle gourd peel
2 cloves garlic
5 green chilies
1 tsp kalojeera/kalonji
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 dry red chili
Salt for seasoning


Method:

In a grinder grind bottle gourd peel, garlic, and green chilies to make a paste. If needed add 2 tbsp of water. Keep aside.

In a frying pan heat mustard oil and add dry red chili and kalojeera. After kalojeera starts crackling and well-roasted add bottle gourd peel paste. Add salt and keep stirring until all water evaporates and the paste come together and the raw paste is well cooked.

Serve with hot steamed rice. Enjoy!!

Some other Bengali Recipes:

Lau r khosa bhaja                               Bowal macher matha diye lau ghonto


 Helencha saag r bora