Lau Shaak er Jhol/ Bottle Gourd Greens in a Soupy Broth

Bottle Gourd is a creeper and is quite commonly used to cook various Bengali dishes. Its leaves
known as Lau Shaak are also used in Bengali cuisine. It can add a lot of fibre to your daily diet
so it is not only tasty but healthy for you as well. This recipe is light on the stomach and non-
spicy. You can enjoy this tasty dish with steamed rice.

 

Ingredients
 Kochi Lau Shaak/ Tender Bottle Gourd Leaves and stems
 Bori (dried lentil dumplings)
 Brinjal or eggplant cut into small pieces
 Green Chilly
 Kalonji/ Kalo Jeere (Nigella seeds)
 Warm water
 Mustard Oil
 Turmeric powder
 Salt
 Sugar
 For the paste:
 Gobindobhog Rice – 1½ teaspoon
 Kalo Jeera/ Kalonji (Nigella seeds) – ½ teaspoon
 Green Chilly – 2/3 pieces slit vertically

 

Preparation:
1. Wash the bottle gourd leaves properly so that it does not have any dirt or grit.

2. Cut the eggplant into small pieces and smear them with salt and turmeric. Then fry the
eggplant pieces.

3. Next fry the bori or dried lentil dumplings and drain off the excess oil.

4. Heat mustard oil and temper it with green chillies and kalo jeere.

5. Next add in the washed lau shaak along with turmeric powder, salt and a little bit sugar.

6. Continue to cook it till bottle gourd leaves becomes tender but not mushy. If needed, you
can add some warm water.

7. Once the leaves have cooked through, add in the fried bori and eggplant pieces.

8. Soak the ingredients listed under Paste and grind them to create the paste.

9. Let the broth simmer before adding in the paste that you prepared.

10. Stir the broth for some time and turn off the heat. Cover it and give it some standing time.

11. Serve warm along with steamed rice