Lauki/Bottle Gourd Raitha/Pachadi

Bottle gourd is one of the easily available vegetable and it is good for health. In summer this can be prepared as Raitha/Pachadi by mixing with curd as it gives a soothing effect. This simple dish can be prepared at short notice in less time and this goes well as a side dish to all variety rice and roti.

Bottle gourd is known as ‘Lauki’ in Hindi and as ‘Suraikai (சுரைக்காய்)’ in Tamil. ‘Pachadi (பச்சடி)’ in Tamil is an equivalent of ‘Raitha’ in Hindi.

Ingredients

• Bottle gourd (tender medium size) – 1 no
• Curd (thick) – 2 cup
• Roasted cumin powder – half teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – pinch
• Sugar – half teaspoon
• Salt – as per taste
• For seasoning
  • Mustard – half teaspoon
  • Cumin seeds – half teaspoon
  • Red chilli – 1 no
  • Green chilli – 1 no
  • Ginger – small piece
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Asafetida – pinch
  • Oil – one and half teaspoon

Method

• Scrub the outer skin of bottle gourd.

• Wash and grate bottle gourd finely (tender bottle gourd has hardly any seeds); squeeze out the juice and keep (this juice can be used in cooking other dishes like dal/curry); finely chop ginger, green chilli and curry leaves;

• Heat a pan with few drops of oil; add grated bottle gourd, little salt and turmeric powder; fry for few seconds; if it is too dry, sprinkle little bottle gourd juice or water; cover and cook for few minutes or till bottle gourd is soft.

• Remove and allow it to cool; beat the curd well after adding salt, sugar; mix this cooked bottle gourd with curd.

• Heat a pan with remaining oil; add mustard, cumin seeds, red chilli and asafetida; when mustard splutters add chopped ginger, green chilli and curry leaves.

• Fry it in low flame till crisp; add this with bottle gourd-curd mix; sprinkle roasted cumin seed powder.

• Now Lauki/Bottle Gourd Raitha/Pachadi is ready. Mix and serve it chilled.

Tips

• If you use grated bottle gourd without extracting the juice, raitha/pachadi is likely to be watery (even after mixing with thick curd) depending on the moisture content in bottle gourd.