8 ways to use a bottle gourd tonight

The most-cooked lauki dish in any Indian home — light, comforting, perfect with roti and dal. The whole point: don't overthink it.

1. Peel and dice 1 lauki into 1cm cubes (about 3 cups).
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil, splutter 1 tsp cumin seeds.
3. Add 1 chopped onion, sauté golden (3 min). Add 1 chopped tomato + ½ tsp turmeric + 1 tsp coriander powder + ½ tsp red chilli + salt. Cook 3 min.
4. Add diced lauki + ¼ cup water. Cover, cook on low for 12-15 min until lauki is tender.
5. Mash lightly with the back of a spoon. Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve with roti.

Grate the lauki straight into the dough — kids never see green. Fluffy, mildly spiced, packs into a tiffin and stays soft for hours.

1. Peel and grate ½ lauki, squeeze out water (save it for kneading).
2. Mix 2 cups atta, the grated lauki, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp red chilli, 1 tsp ajwain, salt, 1 tbsp oil. Knead with the saved water into a soft dough.
3. Rest 10 min. Roll into thin parathas.
4. Cook on a hot tawa with ghee on both sides until golden and puffed.
5. Serve hot with curd, achar, or just butter.

Lauki cooked with chana dal — protein-rich, satisfying, the kind of dish your nani would make on a Tuesday.

1. Soak ½ cup chana dal for 30 min. Drain.
2. Pressure cook the dal + 1 chopped lauki + 1 tomato + ½ tsp turmeric + salt + 2 cups water for 4 whistles.
3. Heat 1 tbsp ghee, splutter cumin + 1 dried red chilli + a pinch of hing.
4. Add 1 tsp red chilli powder, immediately pour over the dal. Stir.
5. Squeeze ½ lemon, garnish with coriander. Serve with rice or roti.

Special-occasion lauki — grated, formed into koftas, fried, then simmered in a tomato-onion gravy. Worth the effort.

1. Grate ½ lauki, squeeze out water completely. Mix with 4 tbsp besan, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp red chilli, salt, ½ tsp ajwain. Form into balls.
2. Deep-fry the kofta balls in hot oil till golden. Drain on paper.
3. For gravy: blend 1 onion + 2 tomatoes + 4 garlic + 1" ginger. Cook in 2 tbsp oil for 8 min.
4. Add ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp cream, 1 cup water, salt. Simmer 5 min.
5. Drop in the koftas just before serving (else they'll dissolve). Serve with naan or rice.

One-pot rice dish — lauki cubes pressure-cooked with basmati and whole spices. Lighter than a biryani, faster too.

1. Soak 1 cup basmati for 20 min. Drain.
2. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker. Add 2 cardamom, 1 bay leaf, 1" cinnamon, 4 cloves, 1 tsp cumin.
3. Add 1 sliced onion, sauté golden. Add 2 cups cubed lauki, sauté 3 min.
4. Add the rice + 2 cups water + salt + 1 tsp ginger paste. Pressure cook for 1 whistle.
5. Rest 10 min before opening. Fluff with a fork. Serve with raita.

Cooling, refreshing, perfect Indian summer side. Cooked lauki blended into yogurt with cumin and salt.

1. Boil 1 cup grated lauki in water for 5 min. Drain, cool.
2. Whisk 1 cup curd with salt, ½ tsp roasted cumin powder, ¼ tsp red chilli, ½ tsp black salt.
3. Add the cooled lauki. Mix.
4. Garnish with chopped mint or coriander. Chill 15 min before serving.

Gujarati-style flatbread — grated lauki kneaded with atta and besan, mildly spiced. Stays soft for 2 days. Lunchbox MVP.

1. Grate ½ lauki, squeeze out water.
2. Mix 1.5 cups atta + ½ cup besan + grated lauki + ½ tsp turmeric + ½ tsp red chilli + 1 tsp coriander powder + 1 tsp sesame seeds + 2 tbsp oil + salt.
3. Knead into a soft dough using the squeezed water. Rest 15 min.
4. Roll into thin theplas. Cook on hot tawa with oil on both sides till golden.
5. Stack between paper towels to keep soft. Pack with chunda or curd.

Yes, lauki halwa. Sweet, milky, fragrant with cardamom and ghee. If you've only had Gajar Halwa, this will surprise you.

1. Grate ½ lauki, squeeze out the water.
2. Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add the grated lauki. Sauté on medium for 8-10 min till the raw smell goes.
3. Add 1 cup full-fat milk. Cook on low, stirring frequently, until the milk reduces (15 min).
4. Add ½ cup sugar, ½ tsp cardamom powder. Cook another 5 min till halwa is glossy.
5. Garnish with chopped almonds, pistachios, and a few raisins. Serve warm.