Lauki Sabzi with Dal and Rice
A complete no-onion, no-garlic plate: soft bottle-gourd sabzi, simple dal, and rice. Everyday, light, and Jain-friendly.
This is a full lunch or dinner plate, not a side alone. Lauki keeps the meal high-volume and gentle on digestion; dal adds protein and body; rice makes it filling without heavy masala.
Flavor comes from hing, cumin, tomato, and turmeric rather than onion or garlic, so the plate stays suitable for Jain and no-onion/no-garlic households.
Nutrition
Per 1 plate with rice and dal (half recipe)
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fiber
- 9 g
Dietary
plant based · jain · no onion no garlic · soy free · nut free · gluten free
Protein sources
moong dal · toor dal · rice
Ingredients
- 12 cups Lauki (bottle gourd), peeled and cubed
- 21 medium Tomato, chopped
- 31/2 cup Yellow Moong Dal or Toor Dal, rinsed
- 41 cup Uncooked Rice (or 3 cups cooked)
- 51 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 61/4 tsp Certified gluten-free Asafoetida (Hing)
- 71/2 tsp Turmeric, divided
- 81/2 tsp Coriander powder
- 91 Green Chilli, slit (optional)
- 101.5 tbsp Oil, divided
- 11Salt to taste
- 12Lemon wedges and coriander to serve
Instructions
- 1
Cook rice as usual and keep warm. Boil or pressure-cook dal with water, a pinch of turmeric, and salt until soft; mash lightly and keep pourable.
Choose young lauki with soft seeds; large spongy pieces cook unevenly.
- 2
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add cumin and hing; when aromatic, add tomato and optional chilli. Cook until tomato softens.
Keep sabzi slightly moist rather than dry so it pairs well with rice.
- 3
Add lauki, remaining turmeric, coriander powder, and salt. Stir 1–2 minutes.
Moong dal is lighter; toor dal is more traditional with rice—use what you digest well.
- 4
Cover and cook on low–medium heat until lauki is tender, 10–12 minutes, adding a splash of water if the pan dries.
Skip green chilli for a milder Jain plate; black pepper works at the end instead.
- 5
Temper the dal lightly with remaining oil, cumin, and hing if you like a separate tadka. Plate rice, dal, and lauki sabzi. Finish with lemon and coriander.
Batch-cook dal and rice; make the sabzi fresh so the vegetable stays bright.
Seasonal vegetable swaps
- Use turai, tinda, or cabbage with the same hing-cumin-tomato base.
- Add a handful of peas for color and sweetness.
- Stir chopped spinach into the dal in the last few minutes.
Plate adjustments
- For fewer calories, serve more sabzi and less rice.
- For more protein, increase the dal portion or add a side of sprouts.
- Serve with kachumber or cut fruit when you want extra produce volume.