Lau Shaak Bhaja (Bottle Gourd Leaves Stir-Fry)

Nothing is wasted in a Bengali kitchen. The tender leaves and shoots of lau (bottle gourd) or kumro (pumpkin) are stir-fried with garlic, kalonji and a pinch of sugar and eaten as the first course with rice. If you grow pumpkins in your garden, this is for you.

Video by Farjoo’s Kitchen Corner on YouTube. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the video.

• Serves 4
• Prep 15 min
• Cook 15 min
• Vegan · gluten-free
• Famous in West Bengal & Bangladesh

Ingredients

• 300 g young bottle-gourd or pumpkin leaves and tender shoots (or spinach)
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
• 2 dried red chillies
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar

Method

1. Peel the fibrous skin off thicker stems, chop leaves and stems finely and wash.
2. Heat the mustard oil, add kalonji, chillies and garlic and fry until golden.
3. Add the greens, turmeric and salt, cover and cook on low heat for 8–10 minutes.
4. Add sugar, uncover and cook until dry. Serve with plain rice and dal.

Tip: Only use the tender top leaves and shoots – older leaves are too rough.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.