Lauki and moong dal cook at a similar pace, making this an easy pressure-cooker meal. Keep it chunky for a homestyle bowl or blend briefly for a smoother finish.
Prep
12 min
Cook
22 min
Total
34 min
Yield
Serves 4
One-potPressure cookerComfort food
Make it
Method
01
Combine lauki, dal, tomato, ginger, turmeric and water in a pressure cooker.
02
Cook for 2 whistles, then let the pressure release naturally. For a saucepan, cover and simmer until both dal and gourd are soft.
03
Whisk for a lightly creamy texture or pulse briefly with a hand blender.
04
Temper cumin in a small spoon of oil if desired, stir it in, then season and finish with lemon.
Kitchen notes
Taste a tiny raw piece of lauki before cooking; discard the whole gourd if it tastes unusually bitter.
Add water after cooking to adjust the bowl from dal-like to soup-like.
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Before you cook
Wash produce under clean running water, keep preparation surfaces clean and cook ingredients that require cooking thoroughly. Check packaged ingredients for allergens. “Healthy” here means produce-forward recipe inspiration, not medical or personalised nutrition advice.