Bottle gourd Kurma is a healthy curry recipe made with the bottle gourd (aka Lauki, Dudhi, Doodhi, Ghiya) cooked together in an aromatic spicy kurma or korma masala made of coconut, cashews, and other spices in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Stovetop. Vegan, gluten-free, and Keto Friendly.
There are many names for Bottle Gourd. In some other Indian languages, it's also called lauki, dudhi, ghiya, sorekai, sorakaya. They are also known as Cucuzza, Calabash, Opo Squash in other countries.
Other Indian Lauki Recipes that you may like from my blog Lauki Chana Dal, Bottle Gourd Paratha, Lauki Soup, Lauki Raita.
This Bottle Gourd Korma recipe is Keto or Low Carb. If you are on Keto Diet then, replace cashews with almonds while making coconut cashew paste or skip this recipe.
If you are on a Keto or Low Carb Diet. Checkout Keto Indian Food Recipes Collection.
What is Kurma?
Kurma, alternatively known as “korma”, “khorma”, or “qorma”, is a dish originating from Central Asian culinary traditions. Kurma is a curry made using vegetables or meat along with yogurt, coconut, spices, and nut or seed paste. Based on the regions, the ingredients used to make the kurma recipe are different.
Today I have shown the south Indian version of kurma where I have used coconut and cashew nut as the base. In some regions, it is made by using yogurt or curd instead of coconut.
Dont have an Instant Pot?
Also for those of you who do not have an Instant Pot, check out the Indian stovetop pressure cooker bottle gourd curry recipe instructions below.
How to make Bottle Gourd Kurma Recipe in Instant Pot
Wash Bottle Gourd, peel the skin, deseed if any and cut into ½ inch pieces.
Grind coconut, cashews, cloves, cinnamon to a smooth paste.
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil to the POT. Once the oil is hot add cumin seeds and, let them crackle.
Next add ginger garlic paste and green chiles, Saute for few seconds.
Add onions and saute until onions turn light brown.
Next add chopped tomatoes, spices like red chili powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and cook till they turn soft.
Then add the water and deglaze the pot to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Add in the diced bottle gourd, ground coconut-cashew paste ,salt and mix well.
Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.
Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 3 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR).
Remove lid away from you, add lime juice and garnish with cilantro. Mix well.
Lauki Kurma recipe is ready, serve with hot with pooris, chapatis, roti & parathas.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same steps and close the lid place a whistle and cook for 2-3 whistles on medium flame. The bottle gourd Kurma recipe is ready to serve.
What to serve with Bottle Gourd Korma?
Bottle gourd Kurma or korma is best served with poori or even roti, chapati, paratha or, plain rice.
Tips & Variations
- You can add Roasted Bengal Gram/fried gram/putani or poppy seeds while grinding instead of cashew nuts. It also helps to make the gravy thick. But I like adding cashews because it would give a nice creamy texture (and increase Calories) and thickness to the Kurma/curry.
- Adjust the consistency of the Kurma by adding the required amount of water.
- If you do not have grated coconut, you can use ½ cup of full fat thick coconut milk.
- You can also add ½ cup of fresh or frozen peas, it makes the dudhi kurma recipe more tasty and healthy.
- You can replace Bottle gourd with the vegetable of your choice like beetroot, chow-chow, ridge gourd, etc.
More Instant Pot Curry recipes
Bottle Gourd Kurma
Equipment
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 small lauki (bottle gourd) peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 2 green chiles finely chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 large tomato finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¾ cup water
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (coriander leaves)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For Grinding
- ¼ cup coconut (fresh or frozen)
- 6-8 cashews or 2 teaspoon of poppy seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 1 teaspoon saunf (fennel seeds) optional
Instructions
- Wash Bottle Gourd ,peel the skin ,deseed if any and cut into ½ inch pieces.
- Grind coconut, cashews, cloves ,cinnamon to a smooth paste.
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil in to the POT.Once oil is hot add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Next add ginger garlic paste and green chilles ,Saute for few seconds.
- Add onions and saute until onions turn light brown.
- Next add chopped tomatoes ,spices like red chilli powder, garam masala powder ,coriander powder ,garam masala powder and cook till they turn soft.
- Then add the water and deglaze the pot to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the diced bottle gourd,ground coconut-cashew paste ,salt and mix well.
- Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.
- Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 3 minutes.
- Once the pot beeps ,Do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR).
- Remove lid away from you, add lime juice and garnish with cilantro.Mix well.
- Lauki Kurma is ready, serve with hot with pooris, chapatis, roti & parathas.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Method:
- Take a Pressure cooker. Add oil in to the POT.Once oil is hot add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Next add ginger garlic paste and green chilles ,Saute for few seconds.
- Add onions and saute until onions turn light brown.
- Next add chopped tomatoes ,spices like red chilli powder, garam masala powder ,coriander powder ,garam masala powder and cook till they turn soft.
- Then add the water and deglaze the pot to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the diced bottle gourd, ground coconut-cashew paste ,salt and mix well.
- Close the lid place a whistle and cook for 2-3 whistles on medium flame.
- Switch off the flame and let the pressure from the cooker release naturally.
- Remove lid away from you, add lime juice and garnish with cilantro.Mix well.
- Lauki Kurma is ready, serve with hot with pooris, chapatis, roti & parathas.
Notes
Tips & Variations:
- You can add Roasted Bengal Gram/fried gram/putani or poppy seeds while grinding instead of cashewnuts .It also helps to make gravy thick.But I like adding cashews because it would give nice creamy texture (and increase Calories) and thickness to the Kurma.
- Adjust the consistency of the Kurma by adding required amount of water.
- If you do not have grated coconut.You can use ½ cup of full fat thick coconut milk.
- You can also add ½ cup of fresh or frozen peas.it makes kurma more tasty and healthy.
- You can replace Bottle gourd with the vegetable of your choice like beetroot ,chow-chow ,ridge gourd etc.
Nutrition
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