This soothing, comforting and healthy Bottle Gourd Curry or Lauki Curry is made with bottle gourd (opo squash) and spices in a coconut milk and yogurt base.
Rinse and peel the bottle gourd and cut into small bite size pieces. Taste and check if the bottle gourd tastes bitter. If bitter, then trash it and do not use.
Add the bottle gourd pieces, salt, curd, curry leaves, green chilies and water in a pan. Mix very well. You can even mix the curd well in the water first and then add bottle gourd pieces, salt, curry leaves and green chilies.
Stir and cook without a lid on low to medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes or till the bottle gourd pieces are fully cooked.
Add the coconut milk and simmer for a minute. Don't cook much as the coconut milk will curdle otherwise.
For tempering
Heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
Add the cumin seeds and fry for some seconds till the cumin seeds splutter.
Pour this tempering mixture together with the oil on the bottle gourd curry.
Stir and serve the Lauki Curry hot with steamed rice.
Notes
Use fresh and tender bottle gourd. If the bottle gourd tastes bitter or sour, then trash them and do not use.
Make the curry with homemade thick coconut milk or canned coconut milk.
If making the recipe with dairy yogurt or curd, make sure it is made from whole milk. Using toned milk curd or low fat yogurt will result in the yogurt splitting.