Moong dal (mung bean) with Gilki turai (luffa/sponge gourd)

• Servings: 4-5
• Preparation time: 5 minutes.
• Boiling dal time: 10-12 minutes.
• Frying time: 9 minutes.
• Cooking time: 5 minutes.
• Total time: 17 minutes.

In my hometown of Bihar, my mom would often cook a variety of luffa gourds, incorporating them into our meals almost every other day. As a child, I used to feel quite irritated by the repetitive presence of this humble vegetable on our dining table. However, now I understand and appreciate the reasons behind it. These gourds were homegrown, cultivated right in our backyard, ensuring that they were fresh and organic. My mom’s dedication to using home produce meant that we were always consuming the healthiest and most nutritious food. The rich flavours and natural goodness of these homegrown luffa gourds have become a cherished memory and a testament to my mom’s efforts to provide wholesome meals for our family.

Mung Dal with Gilki, is a nutritious and delicious dish  is one of them, commonly enjoyed in Indian households. This simple yet flavourful preparation combines the wholesome goodness of mung dal (split green gram) with the tender, mildly sweet taste of gilki.

Luffa gourd is good for skin, ensures clear skin free from pimples and acne.

This luffa gourd is grown in my kitchen garden.

Ingredients:

• Mung dal (split mung beans): half cup
• Gilki turai: 100-150 gm
• Onion: 1 no (small size)
• Ginger: 1” piece
• Garlic: 2-3 flakes
• Green chilli: 1-2 no.
• Tomato: 1 no. (Medium size)
• Whole Red chilli: 2no.
• Cumin seed: half teaspoon
• Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: half teaspoon
• Salt: one teaspoon (as per taste)
• Ghee/oil: 1 -2 tablespoon
• Bay leaf: 1-2 no.
• Water: 2 cup

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut the Gilki in thin slices. Keep aside.
2. Chop the onion, ginger, garlic, tomato and green chilli into small pieces. Keep aside.

Method:

1. Put dal, salt, turmeric powder, bay leaf along with water in the pressure cooker on high flame.
2. Bring to full cooking pressure, reduce to low flame and cook for a minutes.
3. Put off the flame, allow cooker to cool and open. Keep aside.
4. Take wok, put ghee, add cumin, dry red chilli sputter it for few seconds.
5. Add onion, ginger, garlic and green chilli, stir fry on medium flame for couple of minutes or  till onion turns translucent.
6. Add tomato, continue till become soft and messy.
7. Add Sliced Gilki and stir fry, cover it on medium  low flame till it is done(about 3-4 minutes).
8. Open the cover, add cooked dal, boil the dal for 3-4 minutes.
9. Mung dal with Gilki is ready. Now it is time for seasoning.

For seasoning:

Take a small fry pan, add ghee, when smoke begins to come, add mustard seed and cumin, sputter it for few seconds.

Put off the flame, add asafoetida and red chilli powder, spread this seasoning all over the mung dal.

Mung dal is ready to be serve at the time of lunch or dinner, along with Chapati and Steamed Rice.

Moong dal (mung bean) with Gilki turai (luffa/sponge gourd) by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.