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Lau shuktani

Lau Shuktani

A fragrant, delicate, old-style Bengali preparation where the subtle sweetness of lau meets the warmth of ginger and the unique aroma of radhuni.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Bengali

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium-sized lau (bottle gourd) peeled and washed , don’t throw away the peels
  • 1/4 cup small bori (dried lentil dumplings) fried
  • 2.5 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
  • 1.5 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp radhuni (or celery seeds)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp mustard oil
  • 3 tsp ghee
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp sugar

Method
 

  1. Cut the lau into thin roundels, then shred them lengthwise.
  2. Lightly dry roast 1 tsp radhuni and crush it gently.
  3. Soak 1tsp of both yellow and black mustard in warm water for 15 minutes. Drain from the water and ground to smooth paste.
  4. Heat mustard oil with 1 tsp ghee in a pan. Add bay leaves, 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds, and 1/2 tsp radhuni. Let them splutter.
  5. Add the lau, sprinkle a little salt, and mix in 1 tsp ginger paste. Cook over low flame until the lau turns 90% tender. No extra water is needed, as the lau will release its own moisture.
  6. Add mustard paste and cook for 5 odd minutes.
  7. Once perfectly cooked, add sugar, the remaining ginger paste, the rest of the ghee, and the fried bori. Sprinkle the crushed roasted radhuni on top.
  8. Switch off the flame, cover, and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.