Memories of Grandma come fleeting back as I grate my coconut for Narkel Lau this morning.
Grandma was a magician. I would often joke with her that even if a battalion of famished folks turned up at her doorstep just before lunch, in less than an hour, she would have a delectable lunch spread out, the entire nine yards, from bitter to sweet.
The trick was simple. Grandma had a myriad of quick no-fuss recipes up her sleeve. That she could churn out in unbelievably quick time. Leaving guests spellbound. And satiated.
Narkel Lau is one such from her repertoire of recipes that would be ready in jiffy.
A delightful symphony of lau and grated coconut. With that distinct note of ground pepper and chillies that cuts through the sweetness of coconut and lau – divine !!!!
Narkel Lau (Lauki / Bottlegourd with Grated Coconut)
Ingredients
- 1 lau / lauki / bottlegourd peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup coconut freshly grated
- 3 - 4 green chillies slit
- 10 peppercorn coarsely ground
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsps mustard oil
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp coconut freshly grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Keep the chopped lau in a bowl. Add the grated coconut, ground peppercorn, green chillies, salt, sugar and 1 tbsp mustard oil to the lau. Mix well.
- Heat the frying pan, add the lau along with the marinade. Turn the heat to low, let the lau cook patiently in its own juices. The lau shall release a lot of water, so no need to add any water.
- Continue to cook till the lau turns tender. Adjust seasonings and finish with a sprinkle of grated coconut and a drizzle of mustard oil.
Lau should be 500 gms or more?
@Olive, 500g will do 🙂
Simple yet sumptuous 🙂