A Bihari-style unusual Lauki Raita from Rediff.com reader Arpna Anand.
This hot weather cooler is mildly spiced with chillies and flavoured with ginger, black salt and roasted cumin powder.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Arpna Anand
Lauki Raita
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 1 small lauki or bottle gourd
- 3-4 cups hung curd or yoghurt
- 2-3 tsp kachhi ghani or mustard oil
- ½ tsp black salt
- ½ tsp bhuna or roasted jeera or cumin powder
- ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- Salt as per taste
- 2 tsp black rai or mustard seeds, made into a paste (please see the note below)
- 2 -3 green chillies, grated
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- A few leaves green dhania or coriander or cilantro for garnish
Method
- Wash, peel and grate the bottle gourd.
You can discard the seeds and the too spongy flesh in the centre attached to the seeds.
Use a thicker blade for grating. - Boil the grated bottle gourd in a little water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
Once it boils, take off heat and cool.
Squeeze the excess water from the cooked bottle gourd and transfer into a bowl.
Add the hung curd and whisk.
Add the mustard oil, black salt, regular salt, jeera powder, turmeric, grated green chillies, ginger, mustard seed paste and mix well.
Add a little water if required.
Refrigerate for at least for 30 minutes and serve chilled, garnished with a few leaves of dhania, with rice, roti and dal.
NOTE: Grind mustard seeds with a little water to make a smooth and thick paste.
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