Bori diye Lau er Ghonto

This bori diye lau er ghonto is a classic niramish ranna recipe where lau or bottle gourd (Bangla: লাউ) is stir-fried with basic spices and bori. To explain it in simpler terms, a ghonto is a Bengali vegetarian dish where a batonette cut (match stick cut) vegetable is cooked with cumin seeds, ginger, and bay leaf.

A ghonto dish like this lau ghonto comes together quickly. Traditional Bengali meals include several courses, which means multiple side dishes to be served with rice. So the genius women of Bengali families stirred up quick and easy vegetarian side dish recipes to fill the plate to serve balanced and healthy meals. Ghonto, chechki, and chorchori dishes fall into that ingenious category of Bengali cooking.

Bori or lentil dumplings are unique in their sense. It is an interesting way of adding lentils to a dish, thus making it more healthy. I have made kolai dal er bori at home and it’s very simple. Provided you have access to an open space that gets exposure to the summer sun all day long. You will find the detailed recipe with step-by-step instructions here.

This niramish lau er ghonto is a summer favorite. Bottle gourds, although available throughout the year, are more popular during the summer season. It provides hydration and nutrition with practically zero calorific value, making it perfect for sweltering Indian heat. So, let’s get cooking this super easy and simple niramish lau er torkari.

Lau er ghonto recipe ingredients

• Lau or Bottle Gourd – 1 nos. of 500 – 600 gms
• Kolai dal er Bori – 1/4 cup
• Mustard Oil – 2 tbsp
• Bay Leaf – 1
• Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Ginger – 2 tbsp – grated
• Salt and Sugar
• Ghee

Lau er ghonto recipe instructions

• Prepare the vegetable – Cut the top off and peel the bottle gourd all the way around. Cut it into large rounds and then proceed to cut them in matchstick style or as they say in batonette cut. Keep it aside
• Frying bori – Heat a tablespoon of mustard oil in a kadhai or wok. Drop the kolai dal er bori and swirl them around till they are golden and crispy. Be careful while frying the bori as they tend to get burnt very quickly, so keep stirring them and take them out as soon as they turn light golden.
• Cooking vegetable – Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add cumin seeds and bay leaf
• As the seeds splutter, add the lau pieces. Give it a thorough mix before covering the pan with a lid to cook the bottle gourd pieces
• After 2-3 minutes of cooking on low-medium heat, you will notice that it has reduced in volume after releasing water.
• Add salt, sugar, grated ginger, and ghee.
• Garnish & serve – Add the fried bori and give them a rough crush while mixing into the dish. Serve it hot with rice.

Recipe variations

This lau er ghonto is simple and needs quite a simple Bengali pantry staple ingredients. However, often I find myself out of kolai dal er bori from my stock. Instead, I have used masoor dal er bori as well and it tastes equally good.

Now if you do not have any kind of bori available, go with freshly grated coconut. Add a handful of grated coconut right before serving. It adds a nutty flavor and creamy richness of fresh coconut to this dish.

Serving suggestions

As I mentioned before, this niramish lau er torkari is a part of the Bengali vegetarian menu which usually comprises rice, a dry vegetable side dish, dal, and chutney. Lau er ghonto is popular in summer when it is served with bhaat or rice for a simple and healthy lunch meal.

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This bori diye lau er ghonto is a classic niramish ranna recipe where lau or bottle gourd (Bangla: লাউ) is stir-fried with basic spices and bori. To explain it in simpler terms, a ghonto is a Bengali vegetarian dish where batonette cut (match stick cut) vegetable is cooked with cumin seeds, ginger, and bay leaf.

Course:

Side Dish

Cuisine:

Bengali

Diet:

Hindu

Keyword:

Bengali Food, Bengali Vegetarian Recipes, Lauki Recipes, vegetarian recipes

Servings: 3 people

Author: Priyanka

• 1
  Lau or Bottle Gourd
  weighing approx 500-600 gms
• ¼
  cup
  Kolai dal er Bori
• 2
  tbsp
  Mustard Oil
• 1
  Bay Leaf
• ½
  tsp
  Cumin Seeds
• 2
  tbsp
  Ginger
  grated
• Salt to Taste
• 1
  tbsp
  Sugar
• 1
  tbsp
  Ghee

1. Prepare the vegetable – Cut the top off and peel the bottle gourd all the way around. Cut it into large rounds and then proceed to cut them in matchstick style or as they say in batonette cut. Keep it aside

2. Frying bori – Heat a tablespoon of mustard oil in a kadhai or wok. Drop the kolai dal er bori and swirl them around till they are golden and crispy. Be careful while frying the bori as they tend to get burnt very quickly, so keep stirring them and take them out as soon as they turn light golden.

3. Cooking vegetable – Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add cumin seeds and bay leaf

4. As the seeds splutter, add the lau pieces. Give it a thorough mix before covering the pan with a lid to cook the bottle gourd pieces

5. After 2-3 minutes of cooking on low-medium heat, you will notice that it has reduced in volume after releasing water.

6. Add salt, sugar, grated ginger, and ghee.

7. Garnish & serve – Add the fried bori and give them a rough crush while mixing into the dish. Serve it hot with rice.

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