The creaminess of this Instant Pot Lauki Yakhni – Kashmiri Bottle Gourd Curry is perfectly balanced with the sweet, anise-like flavor of the ground fennel.
This recipe is a huge hit in our house. It is also super easy to throw together too!
What is Instant Pot Lauki Yakhni – Bottle Gourd Yogurt Curry?
Yakhni is a yogurt-based curry and is a signature Kashmiri dish. Some of the popular yakhni dishes in Kashmiri cuisine include goat/lamb yakhni, chicken yakhni, lotus root/stem (nadru or kamal kakdi) yakhni, mushroom yakhni, and several others. Yakhni is extremely delicious and does not contain red chili powder or ground turmeric. Even more, NO ONIONS or TOMATOES. It is so easy to fix since there is no chopping required.
Yakhni also known as Yekhean in Kashmiri and is made by adding whole spices such as cloves, cumin seeds, black and green cardamom pods. The ground spices used in yakhni typically include ground fennel, ground ginger, asafoetida, and garam masala.
Yogurt is key in making yakhni. The yogurt needs to be at room temperature and whipped well. I typically like to add rice flour to the yogurt while whipping it. This makes the yakhni consistency thick and prevents the yogurt from curdling.
In Kashmiri: Bottle Gourd Yogurt Yakhni is known as Alla Yekhean.
How do I chop bottle gourd for this Instant Pot Lauki Yakhni – Bottle Gourd Yogurt Curry
Firstly, rinse the bottle gourd well. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the bottle gourd’s green skin. Further, cut it into two halves horizontally. Use a paring knife the bottle gourd into 2-inch-thick rounds.
How are we going to make Instant Pot Lauki Yakhni – Bottle Gourd Yogurt Curry?
First, we will needs an instant pot of-course!
Yogurt: The yogurt needs to be at room temperature and whipped well with a spoon for about a minute. It needs to be taken out of the refrigerator in a bowl at least an hour before cooking. This step is key to prevent curdling of the yogurt. The yogurt does not need to be pressure cooked. Instead, it will be added gradually to the pressure-cooked curry. I add rice flour to the yogurt and mix it well. The yogurt/rice flour mix needs to be added slowly with a large ladle or spoon and MIXED each time it is added to the pressure-cooked curry. The added yogurt/rice flour mix needs to be mixed with the gravy for at least 30 seconds each time it is added to the gravy. The mixing is key to prevent the yogurt from curdling. Full fat plain yogurt works best for this recipe.
Also, we will let the curry cool down slightly before we add yogurt. Adding yogurt to a super-hot curry can also result in curdling.
STEPS:
Firstly, select sauté on the instant pot and adjust to normal. Secondly, add oil to the pot. Thirdly, when the oil is hot, add in the chopped bottle gourd and let it sauté for 8 minutes until it turns slightly golden, Moreover, make sure to keep turning it every 2 to 3 minutes while it sautés. This step will prevent the bottle gourd from getting stuck to the pot.
Next, after 8 minutes of sautéing add in asafoetida, cumin seeds, dried bay leaf, cloves, black cardamom pod, green cardamom pod, small cinnamon stick, and stir.
Then, in 30 seconds add in ground ginger, ground fennel, ground cumin, salt, and water.
Further, close the lid of the Instant Pot and select manual/high pressure for 3 minutes. When done, press cancel and quick release the pressure.
Then, open the lid and add garam masala. Let the curry cool for 15 minutes in the pot. Then slowly add in room temperature yogurt/rice flour one tablespoon at a time and keep mixing into the curry. This step is key to prevent curdling. The temperature shouldn’t be super-hot and the yogurt should be mixed continually when added. Once all the yogurt is in, select sauté and bring it to a boil. Add in shahi zeera or dried mint. Press cancel.
Finally, transfer into a serving bowl right away. Serve hot over steamed rice.
Tried this recipe yet? Give us a rating, comment below in the reply section and let us know what you think.
Try some of our other Kashmiri recipes:
Kashmiri Tamarind Eggplant – Instant Pot Kashmiri Baingan
Butternut Squash Curry – Instant Pot Indian Squash
Instant Pot Kashmiri Rajma – Rajma Masala Instant Pot
Instant Pot Lauki Yakhni – Kashmiri Bottle Gourd Curry
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil of choice
- 10.6 oz Bottle gourd (lauki), (1/4 of a long bottle gourd) (1 and 3/4 cups chopped)
- 1 cup plain full fat yogurt at room temperature whipped with a spoon (keep it out of the refrigerator for one hour before you start cooking)
- 1/2 tsp rice flour (chawal ka atta)
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 dried bay leaf (tej patta)
- 2 whole cloves (laung)
- 1 whole black cardamom pod (kali elaichi)
- 2 whole green cardamom pods (hari elaichi)
- 1 cinnamon stick 2 inch piece (dalchini)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (sonth)
- 1 and 1/4 tsp ground fennel (saunf powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin (jeera powder)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp dried mint leaves or Shahi Zeera
Instructions
Prep
- The yogurt needs to be at room temperature and whipped well with a spoon for about a minute. It needs to be taken out of the refrigerator in a bowl at least 1 hour before cooking. This step is key to prevent curdling of the yogurt. After whipping it add rice flour and mix well. Set aside.
- When ready to cook, rinse the bottle gourd well. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the bottle gourd's green skin. Use a paring knife the bottle gourd into 2-inch-thick rounds.
Cook
- Select sauté on the instant pot and adjust to normal. Add oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, add in the chopped bottle gourd and let it sauté for 8 minutes until it turns slightly golden, Moreover, make sure to keep turning it every 2 to 3 minutes while it sautés. This step will prevent the bottle gourd from getting stuck to the pot.
- After 8 minutes of sautéing add in asafoetida, cumin seeds, dried bay leaf, cloves, black cardamom pod, green cardamom pod, small cinnamon stick, and stir.
- Then, in 30 seconds add in ground ginger, ground fennel, ground cumin, salt, and water.
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot and select manual/high pressure for 3 minutes. When done, press cancel and quick release the pressure.
- Then, open the lid and add garam masala. Let the curry cool for 15 minutes in the pot. Then slowly add in yogurt one tablespoon at a time and keep mixing into the curry. This step is key to prevent curdling. The temperature shouldn’t be super-hot and the yogurt should be mixed continually when added. Once all the yogurt is in, select sauté and bring it to a boil. Add in shahi zeera or dried mint. Press cancel.
- Finally, transfer into a serving bowl right away. Serve hot over steamed rice.
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