Lauki Kaju Sabzi / Bottlegourd Cashew Stir fry

Its been ages I cooked Dal Rice in our kitchen. Tadka Dal with a simple sabzi, Vegetable Raita is comfort food for me. Today's menu had Lauki, also known as Bottle Gourd. I like to cook Lauki with either Chana Dal or Cashews. You guys might have read about the Chana Dal version. Let me tell you about the nutty cashew recipe today.

Ingredients:
Lauki/Bottle Gourd - about 3 cups
Raw Cashews/Kaju - 1/2 cup
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs
Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 6
Green Chilies - 2 or 3
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt

How to cook Lauki Kaju Sookhi Sabji:

Soak cashews (halved) in a bowl of water for about an hour.
Peel the bottle gourd and discard the seeds. Chop the gourd into bite size pieces. Add the chopped gourd to a big bowl of water to avoid its blackening.
Finely chop cilantro. Slit the chilies lengthwise. Pat the curry leaves dry.
Just before cooking, discard the water and add the chopped gourd in a colander or strainer.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, asafetida and curry leaves. When mustard seeds pop, add chopped bottle gourd. Stir for a minute and cook it covered at low heat until it turns transparent. No need of adding water.
Lastly, add soaked cashews, salt, jaggery and green chilies. Stir and cook it covered for a couple minutes. Taste for seasonings and check if both cashews and gourd are cooked.
Garnish with cilantro and serve Lauki Sabzi with rice and/or roti.

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