What is bottle gourd, lauki, doodhi, ghiya?

In order to make bottle gourd cubes, firstly peel the bottle gourd and discard the stem. Place on a chopping board and cut the peeled bottle gourd into halves from the centre lengthwise. Take each halve and make vertical slits lengthwise. Combine all the vertical slits together and make horizontal slits breadth wise to get cubes. You can make fine slits or thick slits as per recipe requirements. Bottle gourd cubes are used mainly in subzis, curries and gravies. It is also used for making juice.

In order to chop bottle gourd, firstly peel the bottle gourd and discard the stem. Place on a chopping board and cut the peeled bottle gourd into halves from the centre lengthwise. Take each halves and make thin vertical slits lengthwise. Combine all the vertical slits together and make thin/fine horizontal slits breadth wise to get chopped bottle gourd. You can make fine slits or thick slits as per recipe requirements.
Another way to do this is to place the peeled bottle gourd on the chopping board and make thin vertical slits lengthwise to get thin strips. Stack 4 to 5 strips on top of each other and again make thin vertical slits lengthwise. Now combine these thin strips and make fine horizontal slits breath wise to get finely chopped bottle gourd.
Chopped Bottle gourd is used mainly in subzis, curries and gravies. It may also be used in making stuffing/ fillings for savoury snacks.

In order to grate bottle gourd, firstly peel the bottle gourd and discard the stem. Place on a chopping board and cut the peeled bottle gourd into halves from the centre. Now hold a vegetable grater in one hand and the bottle gourd on the other. Starting from the top end of the grater, place it on the blade and push it down wards to get thickly grated/ thinly grated bottle gourd. Grated bottle gourd is used mainly in the preparation of the Indian sweet "Doodhi Halwa". It is also used in soups etc.

In order to slice bottle gourd, firstly peel the bottle gourd and discard the stem. Place on a chopping board and cut the peeled bottle gourd into halves from the centre lengthwise. Take each halve and make another halve lengthwise. Combine all the 4 vertical slits together and make horizontal slits breadth wise to get sliced bottle gourd. Another way is to cut it into halves and then slice horizontally. You can make fine slices or thick slices as per recipe requirements. Sometimes, even roundels of bottle gourd may be termed as sliced bottle gourd. Bottle gourd slices are used mainly in au gratins, curries and gravies.

1. It doesn't take long cooking time and is used in various forms all around the world. In Chinese cuisine, it is frequently used in soups or in stir fries.

2. In India, doodhi can be combined with dal and spices to make Doodhi Kootu, Doodhi Subzi, Bharwa Lauki and the list is endless .

3. It can also be stir fried with onion, garlic and tomatoes to make a semi dry subzi that will go well with phulkas etc.

4. Koftas are small balls made of vegetables, dryfruits, paneer or a combination of any of these. Try your hands on this unique Doodhi Kofta Curry and serve with roti or parathas.

5. Muthias (gujarati steamed dumplings) are made using various flours and vegetables. Doodhi Muthia with a zesty flavor and aromatic tempering makes up for an amazing evening snack with tea.

6. Doodhi is used to make many Indian desserts like the famous Doodhi ka Halwa, Doodhiya Kheech, Lauki ki Kheer. You can also enhance the flavor of this kheer with an addition of Rasgullas to make Lauki Kheer with Mini Rasgullas.

7. In Japan, the vegetable is sliced, dried and marinated. These strips are used as a vegetarian alternative to sushi.

8. In Burmese cuisine, it is used to make Budijaw, a deep fried snack served along with a spicy garlic chutney.

9. Bottle gourd seeds are toasted and ground with rice, allspice etc to make a local drink in Central America called "Horchata". These seeds can also be coated with sugar, dried and then sold as candy.

10. Bottle gourds are one of the favorite vegetables of Indians and are especially good for old aged people and toddlers. You can blend bottle gourd to make a nutritious doodhi juice or Doodhi soup which has numerous health benefits.

11. You can also fortify chilla batters and make quick Lauki Chilla for breakfast.

12. Addition of grated doodhi in thepla dough can help you roll out lip-smacking, fibre rich Doodhi thepla.

13. Substitute your starchy potatoes, to make delectable Pav Bhaji with Doodhi that tastes just like the original one.

How to store bottle gourd, lauki, doodhi, ghiya

Place bottle gourd in a zip lock bag/ freeze bag and store under refrigerated conditions. Chopped bottle gourd should be placed in glass/ stainless steel containers, covered with cling film and then refrigerated.

Health Benefits of bottle gourd, lauki, doodhi, ghiya

With extremely low levels of sodium, this doodhi is highly suitable for those with high BP. It helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and regulate blood pressure and ensures a proper blood flow to heart and they're onwards to all parts of the body. It helps prevent acidity and good for diabetics. See the 10 benefits of bottlegourd article for complete information. 

Nutritional Information of bottle gourd, lauki, doodhi, ghiya

1 Cup of chopped bottle gourd is about 145 grams
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.

Energy - 17 calories
Protein – 0.3 g
Carbohydrate – 3.6 g
Fat – 0.1 g
Fiber – 2.9 g

Vitamins:
14.6 mg of Vitamin C = 36.5 % of RDA (about 40 mg)
8.7 mcg of Folate (Vitamin B9) = 8.7% of RDA (about 100 mcg)

Minerals:
37.7 mg of Magnesium = 10.7% of RDA (about 350 mg)
14.5 mg of Phosphorus = 2.41% of RDA (about 600 mg)
126.2 mg of Potassium = 2.68% of RDA (about 4700 g)
29 mg of Calcium = 7.25% of RDA (about 400 mg)
2.61 mg of sodium