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Shilpa

Bottle Gourd and Eggplant: Kashmiri Lauki Baingan

This dairy-free Bottle Gourd and Eggplant: Kashmiri Lauki Baingan is loaded with flavor and calls for only five simple ingredients. This delicious Kashmiri curry is full of complex flavor and is made with a wealth of traditional spices, such as ground fennel, ground turmeric, and ground ginger.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Kashmiri, North Indian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.6 pound bottle gourd (1/2 of a large bottle gourd) (lauki) (4 and 1/4 cups chopped)
  • 2 small Indian eggplants (baingan) (2.5 oz)
  • 4 tbsp oil of choice
  • 1/2 tsp asafoetida   (heeng)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds   (jeera)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric     (haldi)
  • 1/3 tsp ground ginger  (sonth)
  • 1/3 tsp ground fennel   (saunf powder)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 serrano peppers (small) (whole) (hari mirch)

Equipment

  • Electric Pressure Cooker

Method
 

Prep
  1. Rinse the eggplants by running them under cold water and wiping dry with a paper towel. In Kashmiri recipes, you don’t slice off the top of the eggplant. You keep the stem intact. Cut the eggplant body in half lengthwise/vertically. Further, cut each eggplant to two more halves. So, each eggplant will have 4 pieces. 8 pieces in all for 2 eggplants.
  2. Rinse the bottle gourd well. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the bottle gourd’s green skin. Cut it into two halves vertically. Use a paring knife remove some of the seeds if there are too many. Furthermore, chop the bottle gourd into 3-inch cubes.
Cook
  1. Select sauté on the Instant Pot and adjust to normal. Add oil to the pot. When the oil is hot add in the chopped eggplants and let them sauté for 10 minutes until they brown. Keep stirring intermittently, without breaking the eggplants to prevent them from sticking to the pot. Once they brown take them out and set them aside in a plate.
  2. After taking out the eggplants, add in asafoetida and cumin seeds, to the already hot inner pot.
  3. Then, in 30 seconds add in chopped bottle gourd and salt. Sauté for 5 minutes to let the raw odor out. Keep stirring.
  4. Once the 5 minutes are up, add in ground turmeric, ground ginger, and ground fennel. Add in water. Mix well.
  5. Further, close the lid of the Instant Pot and select manual/high pressure for 4 minutes. When done, press cancel and quick release the pressure. Open the lid.
  6. Furthermore, select sauté, and add in the eggplants with the bottle gourd. Let them sauté for a minute, mix well. Add in 4 whole serrano peppers.
  7. Again, close the lid of the Instant Pot and select manual/high pressure for 0 minutes. When done, press cancel and quick release the pressure. Open the lid. Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy over steamed rice.

Notes

Traditionally, the eggplants are deep fried, however I have sautéed them in the pot. Please feel free to deep fry them until they brown, if you will.