Lau Chingri

 

Here is another famous bottle gourd recipe from the traditional Bengali Cuisine. This recipe is very famous in Bengal, especially in the East. The dish is popularly known as 'Lau Chingri' since the main ingredients for this recipe are bottle gourd and Prawns. (bottle gourd = Lau; Prawns= Chingri maach). This recipe is a combination of a veg and non-veg, also sweet bottle gourd and tastily fried prawns.

'Lau Chingri' is a hot favorite dish for the Mid-May hot Summer afternoon meal. It is sweet, spicy, succulent and sometimes crunchy too. The fried prawns add up a slight crunchiness in the dish and also the inner portion of prawn is where the juicy succulent part, it just tastes amazing balancing the whole combination of the entire recipe. 'Lau Chingri' is cooked in many ways with a varying number of spices, however, these two basic ingredients are kept intact in all the recipes. People prepare a gravy or a jhol, or it can also be prepared sukha (without gravy).

'Lau Chingri' recipe comes out very delicate, so it is always cooked on low to medium flame. This dish is super simple yet it unveils an amazingly delicate taste to the taste buds of all ages. Although there is a lot of combination with the recipe, the pleasure of its taste is only enjoyable when you savour 'Lau Chingri' with hot steamed rice and dal. Prawn is not considered as fish, as it is a crustacean, hence I wouldn't consider this recipe as a fish recipe, however, you may find some Fish recipes that I've shared on this blog Shorshe Maach ; Rohu Fish Eggs Curry ; Rui Fish with Cauliflower ; Bata Pona Maacher Jhaal ; Rohu Fish with Drumsticks ; Fish Curry with Scallion Florets ; Grass Carp Fish Gravy ; Tilapia Fish .

Lau Chingri

'Lau Chingri' is one such recipe which I happened to have discovered just a few years ago. Because down the south of India, I knew about Idli-Dosas and typically away from my own traditional recipes in my childhood. So somewhere about 4 years ago, an aunt of one of my close relative arrived at our house, she was basically from Bangladesh but living in India since ages. She then craved her heart for 'Lau Chingri' and insisted my mother to cook someday for her. That is how I learned about this recipe from my mother and also some basic recipe follow-ups from aunt too.

Therefore, here I share today this fine recipe of 'Lau Chingri' which is somewhat a mix n match instruction combo from the two ladies. Below I've shared the stepwise pictures and instructions to the recipe of 'Lau Chingri'.

 'Lau Chingri'

Tips:

1. Use fresh and tender bottle gourd for the recipe.
2. While cooking bottlegourd may release some water, so no need to add more water (other than if you wish to make gravy out of it). 

[Non-Veg]

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Course: Side

Cuisine: Indian/ Bengali

Serves: 4

Measuring Items: 1 cup = 150 ml ; Teaspoon

Ingredients:

1. Bottle Gourd- 500 grams (approx)
2. Prawns- 250 grams
3. Coriander leaves

Spices:

1. Cumin seeds- 2 tsp
2. Bay leaf- 1 whole
3. Red Mirchi powder- 1.5 Tsp
4. Turmeric powder- 1 Tsp
5. Cumin powder- 2 Tsp
6. Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tsp
7. Green Chili- 8

Instructions:

How to prepare ‘Lau Chingri’ with step by step pictures and instructions-

1. Peel the skin and chop the bottle gourd into thin slices.
   
2. Clean the prawns thoroughly with water. 
   
3. Heat half a cup of oil in a cooking pan, shallow fry the prawns.
   
4. Keep the fried prawns aside.
   
5. Now pour the remaining cup of oil in the pan, add cumin seeds and bay leaf for seasoning. 
6. 
7. Add sliced onions, ginger-garlic paste, slit green chilies (3 for now). Fry until onions get brownish in colour.
   
8. Add the ground spices and saute for another 2 minutes.
   
9. Now add the sliced bottlegourd pieces into the pan. Mix well. Cover and cook, but take the cover off occasionally and stir for 5 minutes.
   
10. After 5 minutes add the fried prawns and stir well for 2 minutes.
    
11. Bottlegourd would release little water from it, however, add half a cup of water and mix well.
12. Lastly, add the remaining green chillies and sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves and its done.
    

Lunch is ready in less than an hour for this brilliantly bright sunny day. This is one of the sorted meal for the weekend, Prepare this delightful light and healthy treat for the hot Mid-May Summer afternoon meals. Simple yet scrumptious, veg n non-veg combo which includes Lau-Chingri (bottlegourd with prawns), Lau chhilka bhaja, dal, plain rice, lemon and sirke wale pyaaz which I tried for the first time.
This bottlegourd is the other half left from the one I cooked on Monday Doodhlau, it's not the Lau week special though, but its good to have a lot of bottlegourd in the summers. Enjoy cooking, serving and eating❤

Paromita Pramanick ©2018. All Rights Reserved.