Lau Chingri is fresh bottle gourd cooked with prawns Bengali style. Bottle gourd or Lau (Bengali) is available aplenty in summer. Its high water content makes it a preferred vegetable in most Bengali homes.
Lau Chingri cooked with simple spices goes well with white rice and dal or even Rotis/Chapathis.
Chingri is Bengali for prawn and Lau is Bengali for Bottle Gourd/Lauki.
Goodness of Lauki:
Fresh, light-green bottle gourd with white flesh is commonly grown in tropical areas. Lauki contains 90% water and is easy to digest.
Bottle gourd has a cooling effect and reduces the risk of urinary infection. It is an excellent weight loss remedy.
According to Ayurveda, drinking fresh bottle gourd juice prevents premature greying.
Prawns or chingri are very low in calories and fat but very rich in protein and selenium. While prawns have high cholesterol content, they also contain heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids.
Bengali Lau Chingri:
- Small prawns are ideal for this dish. Firstly, clean the prawns and sprinkle salt, turmeric and red chilli powder on them. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and dice the Lau.
- Next, temper hot oil with bay leaf and cumin seeds.
- Then add the marinated prawns and fry till the raw smell disappears and the prawns change colour.
- Put in the diced bottle gourd pieces and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Next add grated ginger, green chilli, cumin powder, a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. Combine well.
- Cook covered; remove the lid in-between and stir. No need to add water as the bottle gourd releases a lot of water during cooking. However, you can sprinkle a little water in case the lau isn’t fresh.
- Once the prawns are cooked and the bottle gourd turns tender, add sugar and mix gently. The dish will be slightly moist.
- Serve Lau Chingri with Steamed Rice.
If you are searching for some more lauki dishes, then do try out Dudh Diye Lau.
Bottlegourd With Prawns Recipe details below:
Lau Diye Chingri Recipe
Ingredients
- Bottle Gourd/Lauki – 1 ½ cups
- Green Chilli – 1, slit
- Ginger – ½ inch, grated
- Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
- Bay leaf – 1
- Sugar, optional – ½ tsp
- Turmeric – ¼ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
- Oil – 1 tsp
- For marination:
- Prawns – ¾ cup
- Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
- Red Chilli Powder – ¼ tsp
- Salt – ¼ tsp
Instructions
- Clean, devein and marinate prawns with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt for about 10 minutes.
- Wash and peel the bottle gourd. Cut into small pieces.
- Slit the green chilli and grate the ginger.
- Heat oil in a frying pan. Add bay leaf and cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
- Add the prawns and sauté for 1-2 minutes till they change colour.
- Add the chopped bottle gourd and mix well.
- Add turmeric powder, ginger paste, green chilli, cumin powder and salt. Combine well.
- Cover and cook on medium flame for 4-5 minutes. Remove lid, stir and cook covered till done. If required, sprinkle a little water.
- Add ½ tsp of sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove and serve Lau Chingri with Rice or Roti.
Notes
* You can use Onion seeds (Kala Jeera) instead of Cumin Seeds.
* Bori or sun dried lentils, fried and crumbled can also be added for a vegan version of the dish.
I removed the prawn from the pan and cooked the lauki until soft and then added the prawn back to avoid over coking. Turned out great. Thanks for the simple but delicious recipe.
Glad you liked it 🙂