Lau Chingri (Bottlegourd or Lauki cooked with Shrimp )

Lau Chingri  is a popular  dish in West Bengal and Bangladesh.In Bengali  'Lau' means Bottlegourd( in English ) or  Lauki (in Hindi).  'Chingri ' means shrimp or prawns.Here tender Bottlegourd is cooked  with small prawns or shrimp.This dish is very tasty and served with hot steamed rice.Here 'Pachphoron' was used as tadka or tempering.Pachphoron is a very important spice in every  Bengali kitchen.  It is a mix of five whole spices in equal quantities - mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and nigella or onion seeds.


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Preparation  Time-10 Minutes 
Cooking Time - 15 Minutes 
Servings -4
Course - main
Cuisine -Bengali 
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Ingredients 
Lau/lauki/white/bottle gourd - 1(washed and chopped  into thin slices)

Prawn(small/medium) -15 to 20 pieces

Tomato -1(small-chopped)

Green chilli - 1(slitted)

Pachphoron -1teaspoon

Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp.

Red chili powder -1 teaspoon.

Cumin  powder : 1teaspoon.

Salt to taste

Sugar : a pinch

Oil : 2 tablespoons  (preferably mustard oil)

Water-1/2 cup

Method

Clean and wash the shrimps and marinate them  with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Keep them aside for 10 minutes .

Heat oil in a pan, shallow fry the shrimps lightly on both sides in medium flame. Keep them aside.

Temper the oil with 1 teaspoon  Pachphoron . Let them splutter.


Add finely chopped bottlegourd ,saute for few minutes on medium flame. While cooking bottlegourd release some water.


Add chopped  tomatoes  and cook until tomatoes are mashed.

Then add all powdered spices and mix to stir.

Add salt and sugar. Continuous stirring.

Add 1/2 cup  water,bring it to boil,when the water will start boiling simmer the gas.Cover with lid. Open the lid and check time to time and give it a stir. When water almost dries up and bottle gourds are well-cooked add  fried shrimps and mix. Cook  until all water are evaporated.Switch off the flame. Lau Chingri is ready to serve with  hot steamed rice.

                                   Pictorial  Recipe 

      Cut the bottlegourd like the way as shown  in the                                           picture 

Mix shrimp or small prawns pieces  with salt and turmeric,keep them aside for 10 minutes

Heat oil in a pan, shallow fry the shrimps lightly on both sides in medium flame. Keep them aside

       Arrange  Pachphoron  by mixing   five whole spices  in equal quantities - mustard seeds, fenugreek   seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and nigella or onion seeds.

     Temper the oil with 1 teaspoon  Pachphoron .

        Add finely chopped bottlegourd ,saute for few                              minutes on medium flame

Add chopped  tomatoes and stir

Then add all powdered spices and green chilies and stir.

Add 1/2 cup  water,bring it to boil,when the water will start boiling simmer the gas.Cover with lid.

 When water almost dries up and bottle gourds are well-cooked add  fried shrimps and mix. Cook on low flame until all water are evaporated.Switch off the flame. Lau Chingri is ready to serve with  hot steamed rice.