Gobindobhog chal diye lau ghonto aka lau ghonto with chal is an authentic and delectable Bengali niramish recipe which is hugely popular in Bengal. It is a comfort dish which is frequently prepared in Bengali households. It is a no onion and no garlic recipe which makes it a perfect dish for niramish days. In this preparation, bottle gourd aka lau is cooked with gobindobhog chal paste and a few whole spices. It is a perfect side to accompany piping hot Steamed Rice and dal.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Health benefits of bottle gourd
How to make Lau ghonto (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is Aloo tikki chaat?
Gobindo Bhog Chaal (rice) is very famous in West Bengal. In Bengal, this rice is specially used in preparing Kheer, Pulao and ghonto recipes. It is very tiny-grained aromatic white rice. It is mainly cultivated in a few districts of West Bengal.
What is lau ghonto?
Lau ghonto is a pure Bengali delicacy and the name of the recipe itself explains the dish. The word ‘Lau’ stands for bottle gourd and ‘Ghonto’ means mushy curry. Basically, ghonto is a Bengali speciality in which vegetables are cut into small-length thin strips and cooked as a dry curry aka mishmash.
Lau er ghonto is prepared in two ways – vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
For non-veg lau er ghonto, normally prawns, fish heads or small fishes are added into it.
For pure vegetarian aka niramish lau ghonto, it is prepared in different ways, like using daler bori or gobindobhog chal or moong dal or sometimes only using peas. Today, I am going to share the most popular vegetarian version aka lau ghonto with chal you.
Lau ghonto recipe Bengali is one of my favourite niramish recipes since childhood. I know it’s weird because bottle gourd is considered one of the most boring vegetables which children don’t even want to try. But I can bet this Bengali version of bottle gourd recipe is an exception.
A bowl of lau er ghonto with plain rice, dal and jhuri aloo bhaja is more than a comfort meal and is just like bliss. I am pretty sure many people are on the same side as me. If you have never tried it then I highly recommend you try it at least once.
My mom used to prepare this chal diye lau ghonto on Saturdays which is usually the vegetarian day of the week in our house when onion, garlic and even masoor dal is prohibited with non-vegetarian food. I still remember how much I used to love the dish that I had my full plate of rice without any drama.
Many people think that Bengali cuisine is full of different varieties of fish recipes and every Bengali eats only non-vegetarian dishes like fish curry, mutton kosha etc. But Bengali cuisine is a treasure of vegetarian dishes and every Bengali is very fond of these dishes. There are myriad lip-smacking niramish recipes are there in this rich cuisine. Aloo posto, bandhakopi ghonto, kochu bata, mocha ghonto, chanar dalna, lau ghonto etc. are the few finest examples of it.
This chal diye lau er ghonto is a very light and healthy recipe that requires only a few whole spices to get prepared. From kids to elders, this recipe is suitable for everyone and it could be a healthy and delectable addition to your regular diet. Lau ghonto is a pure Bengali delicacy and you will definitely get the essence of Bengal in it.
Lau ghonto with chal is a very simple and easy recipe. The difficulty level of cooking the dish is low and can be suitable for a novice. It requires very limited ingredients which are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry except gobindobhog chal. It is quite difficult to get gobindobhog chal outside east India. But thanks to online stores which make everything accessible everywhere now a days.
Gobindobhog chal diye lau ghonto with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. If you follow my recipe precisely then you will get the perfect lau er ghonto on your plate. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the hero ingredient of the recipe ‘Lau’ aka ‘Bottle gourd’ and the recipe.
Health benefits of bottle gourd
- Bottle gourd is very low in fat and cholesterol which is good for weight loss.
- Bottle gourd is full of dietary fibre which is good for the digestive system and helps to get rid of piles, constipation etc.
- It is full of nutrients and vitamins which are good for nourishing the body.
- It is full of potassium and sodium which helps to regulate blood pressure and is good for heart health as well.
- It is a good source of iron and full of antioxidants.
- The bottle gourd is full of water, approximately 96%, which helps the body to cool down.
The popularity of Lau ghonto
- Lau ghonto is easy to make and gets prepared without much hustle.
- It is a very healthy and light dish prepared without using any ground spice.
- It’s kids-friendly and a perfect way to make your kids eat bottle gourd.
- It’s vegan and gluten-free.
- Gobindobhog chal diye lau ghonto is a no onion no garlic recipe which is perfect for puja days aka niramish days.
How to cut bottle gourd for Lau ghonto?
Bengalis are very particular about cutting vegetables for different types of dishes. For each of chorchori, dalna and ghonto preparations, they cut the vegetables differently in a specific way.
For any ghonto preparation, Bengalis cut the vegetables into small and thin strips like match sticks.
First, take a large bowl of water and then peel the bottle gourd and cut them into halves, both in the vertical and horizontal direction. Cut each portion into thin slices like semi-circles. Then gather a few semi-circular pieces and cut them into thin strips in the vertical direction. Gather the strips and put them into the large bowl of water. Repeat the process and cut the complete bottle gourd and wash the pieces nicely.
How to make Lau ghonto?
To prepare the lau ghonto recipe Bengali, first, wash ¼ cup Gobindobhog chaal 2-3 times with water and soak it in a sufficient amount of water for 10-15 minutes. Then drain the water and transfer it to a jar of a grinder. Add ½ cup fresh water into the jar and close the lid. Pulse it to a coarsely ground paste and keep it aside.
Cut the bottle gourd into thin small strips and wash them once. Then drain the water and keep it aside.
On the other hand, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add the daler bori into it and fry them till golden brown and transfer them to a separate plate. Keep them aside.
In the same pan, add oil if required and add 1 dry red chilli, 2 bay leaves and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds into the pan for tempering and let them crackle.
Add the bottle gourd pieces into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it over medium flame for 5 minutes.
Add salt, 2 green chillies into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 10 minutes. Stir in between. Add the rice paste into the pan and give a nice mix.
Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for approximately 8-10 minutes until the bottle gourd gets cooked completely in its own juice. Stir in between every 3 minutes or else the rice paste may stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a little bit of water if required.
Add the fried daler bori, 2 teaspoons sugar into the pan and give a gentle stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 5 minutes. Stir in between once.
Add 1 teaspoon ghee aka clarified butter into the pan and give a nice mix. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Many Bengali veg recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like.
Bori diye lau ghonto
Chanar dalna
Bandhakopi ghonto
Aloo Posto
Jhinge-Aloo Posto
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
- 1 kg Bottle gourd (Lau), peeled and cut into thin strips
- ¼ cup Gobindobhog Chaal (small grain rice)
- 12-15 Daler bori (Sun dried lentil tear droplets)
- 2-3 green Chillies
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 dry red Chilli (Shokno lanka)
- 2 Bay leaves (Tejpatta)
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
- ½ cup Water to prepare the rice paste
Instructions:
- First, wash ¼ cup Gobindobhog chaal 2-3 times with water and soak it in a sufficient amount of water for 10-15 minutes.
- Drain water and transfer it to a jar of a grinder. Add ½ cup fresh water into the jar and close the lid. Pulse it to a coarsely grind paste and keep it aside.
- Cut the bottle gourd into thin small strips and wash them once. Then drain the water and keep it aside.
- On the other hand, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil to it.
- Once the oil is hot, add the daler bori into it and fry them till golden brown and keep them aside.
- In the same pan, add oil if required and add 1 dry red chilli, 2 bay leaves and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds into the pan for tempering and let them crackle.
- Add the bottle gourd pieces into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it over medium flame for 5 minutes.
- Add salt, 2 green chilles into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 6-8 minutes. Stir in between.
- Add the rice paste (Step 2) into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for approximately 10 minutes until the bottle gourd gets cooked completely in its own juice. Stir in between every 3 minutes or else the rice paste may stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a little bit of water if required.
- Add the fried daler bori (Step 6), 2 teaspoons sugar into the pan and give a gentle stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 5 minutes. Stir in between once.
- Add 1 teaspoon ghee aka clarified butter into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the Lau ghonto recipe into a serving bowl. Serve hot or warm with Plain Rice and Dal and enjoy the comforting meal of Bengal.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Bottle gourd (Lau), peeled and cut into thin strips
- ¼ cup Gobindobhog Chaal (small grain rice)
- 12-15 Daler bori (Sun dried lentil tear droplets)
- 2-3 green Chillies
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 dry red Chilli (Shokno lanka)
- 2 Bay leaves (Tejpatta)
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
- ½ cup Water to prepare the rice paste
Instructions
- First, wash ¼ cup Gobindobhog chaal 2-3 times with water and soak it in a sufficient amount of water for 10-15 minutes.
- Drain water and transfer it to a jar of a grinder. Add ½ cup fresh water into the jar and close the lid. Pulse it to a coarsely grind paste and keep it aside.
- Cut the bottle gourd into thin small strips and wash them once. Then drain the water and keep it aside.
- On the other hand, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil to it.
- Once the oil is hot, add the daler bori into it and fry them till golden brown and keep them aside.
- In the same pan, add oil if required and add 1 dry red chilli, 2 bay leaves and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds into the pan for tempering and let them crackle.
- Add the bottle gourd pieces into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it over medium flame for 5 minutes.
- Add salt, 2 green chilles into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 6-8 minutes. Stir in between.
- Add the rice paste (Step 2) into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for approximately 10 minutes until the bottle gourd gets cooked completely in its own juice. Stir in between every 3 minutes or else the rice paste may stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a little bit of water if required.
- Add the fried daler bori (Step 6), 2 teaspoons sugar into the pan and give a gentle stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 5 minutes. Stir in between once.
- Add 1 teaspoon ghee aka clarified butter into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
