Soulful Creations

When you too much lauki on hand- this is something you can try. Ingredients 1 medium sized Lauki, cubed 1 tbsp sambar powder 1 lemon-sized tamarind ball, soaked in hot water and the pulp extracted Seasoning  1 tsp Mustard seeds 1/2 to 1 tsp Methi seeds 1 tbsp Chana dal 2 dried red chillies, crumbled Oil 1 - 2tbsp Rice flour, as a thickening agent, dissolved in about 2-3tbsp of water Method Heat the oil, add the seasonings. Once it splatters, add the lauki and saute it. Add sambar powder and saute till the raw smell is gone. Add the tamarind water and cook for about 10 min. Add the rice flour mixture and cook for about 5min or until the kuzhambu is thick. You can also use drumstick  and other berries in this recipe. But the all-time favorite is this one here . Judgement : It tasted great as always- for some reason I thought laukis would turn sweet but thankfully they tasted amazing PS: A halloween horror story about these...

Since I am home these days- my lunch is usually something extremely simple (like 2-minute maggi noodles withe some veg). On those rare occasions when I cook for lunch, it tend to be one-pot meals like this lauki dal or lauki-lentil soup. Ingredients 1 medium lauki, cut into 1 inch cubes 1 cup washed toor dal or masoor dal (I used toor) 1/2 can (16oz) whole peeled tomatoes 1 tbsp minced ginger 2 green chilli pepper, slit in the middle 1 tbsp ghee/ oil 2 cups water/ veg broth For tempering 2 tsp mustard seeds 2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tbsp roasted crushed coriander powder a pinch turmeric 1 tbsp shredded coconut for garnish Method In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee- add mustard seeds, once it starts to splatter add cumin, fennel, green chilli peppers- saute these for about 10sec Add the tomatoes, lauki, ginger, turmeric and crushed coriander seeds- saute for about 4-5 minutes. Add the dal and saute for another minute or two. Add 2 cups of w...