Benefits Of Eating Bottle Gourd: 4 Delicious Lauki Dishes

Green veggies are known for their health benefits. Bottle gourd, lauki in Hindi, is a vegetable that has numerous health benefits. White-flowered gourd, calabash, New Guinea bean, Tasmania bean and long melon are some of the names given to it. Calabash fruits come in a variety of sizes and shapes, including big, spherical fruits, small, bottle-shaped fruits and narrow, serpentine fruits that can grow to be over a metre long. The vegetable not only has a cooling impact on the body, but it is also good for the heart and can aid with sleeping problems. 

Here are some of the benefits of the bottle gourd:

Helps The Body Stay Hydrated

Bottle gourd has always been considered one of the healthiest vegetables. This versatile vegetable contains roughly 92% water and minerals, making it one of nature’s best options for keeping your body hydrated and cool. Bottle gourd is a cooling vegetable and its juice cools your stomach and decreases the harmful effects of body heat.

Helps With Weight Loss

Bottle gourd is a great vegetable that helps with weight loss. The vegetable is high in fibre, which keeps you fuller for longer, lowering food cravings that cause you to gain weight. It is also a low-calorie and fat-free vegetable. Ayurvedic medicine uses bottle gourd to help people lose weight since fibre is essential for weight loss.

Storehouse Of Vitamins And Minerals

Vitamin C, B, K, A, E, iron, folate, potassium and manganese are among the nutrients found in bottle gourd. These are important for metabolism and bodily processes.

Here are some delicious Indian dishes you can make with bottle gourd:

1. Lauki Kofta Curry

Lauki may not be everyone's favourite but this dish can surely be. Lauki Kofta is a tasty Indian curry made with bottle gourd dumplings (kofta) in a spicy onion tomato sauce. Deep-fried koftas (round-shaped deep-fried spicy dumplings) consisting of grated bottle gourd, gram flour, rice flour and ginger-garlic paste are cooked in a spicy tomato-cashew-nut gravy. This dish is spicy, tangy and full of desi Indian flavours.

Lauki Bharta is a unique twist on the bottle gourd, which isn't always popular. Lauki is a healthy vegetable that should be consumed on a regular basis due to its high-water content. This Lauki Bharta is simple to make and takes only a few minutes. The flavour of the bharta is enhanced by the inclusion of ginger, garlic and spices. It has all the flavours of chopped onions, tomatoes, spices and coriander leaves.  For a fantastic weeknight dinner, serve the Lauki Bharta with Phulkas, Jeera Pulao and a Mint and Pomegranate Raita.

Thick, spicy gravy with the goodness of raisins and almonds. Lauki Mussallam is made using lauki or a bottle gourd that has been marinated and stuffed with potatoes before being dipped in a delicious gravy. Serve as a great main course dish with rice or roti for dinner.

Lauki Chana Dal, a simple and healthy stew made with bottle gourd and Bengal gram (chana dal) is popular throughout India. It can be made in three distinct ways: 1) with just lauki, 2) with chana dal or moong dal and 3) with potato. The inclusion of chana dal adds taste and nutrition without adding time to the cooking process.