Bottle gourd : one of the most-hated vegetable in Kids' food dictionary (and most adults' too :D). Till my marriage, I didn't eat it too. Now I buy it regularly but sneak it in as a paratha / Muthia / Halwa / kofta.
But one particular evening saw me viewing this weight-loss aiding veggie in a new avatar (now you know why I am (need to be) partial to that, dont u ? :p). So I made two new dishes with Bottlegourd and loved it 🙂
One was this wonderful soup - my kids could never guess it was made of Bottle gourd. And, its a great meal to have between lunch and dinner (around 5ish) to fill you up with that fibre and (hopefully) eat less at dinner :). The other (new) dish I made with this veggie will feature sometime soon !!
Have you checked out this amazing collection of over 21+ varieties of Vegan / Vegetarian Soups?
Calabash / Doodhi / Lauki / Bottlegourd / Sorekai / Sorakaaya : whatever the name, this water-rich veggie makes a wonderful base for this soup. The caramelised onions were an afterthought but definitely added a new texture to the otherwise bland soup, so dont skip that part 🙂
Bottle gourd soup - perfect appetiser (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Prep time : 10 mins , cook time : 15 mins, Serves : 2~3
Ingredients:
- Doodhi / Bottlegourd - 220 gms
- Moong dal / split green gram - 4 TBSP
- Onion - 1 large
- Almonds - 3-4 (opt. if you want to make this nut free)
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- Olive oil - 1 TBSP
Toppings:
- Caramelised onions
- Chilli flakes - ½ tsp
- Crushed black pepper
Method:
- Peel, cube the gourd. Pressure cook with moong dal, almonds, onions + 2 cups of water for 2 whistles.
- Cool and puree. Strain if required (I used it as is to up the fibre content).
- Add salt , olive oil & crushed black pepper. Simmer for 2 -3 mins. Serve hot topped with caramelised onions and any other seasonings.
vaishali sabnani says
Wow I would have never imagined a bottle gourd soup to be so delicious..almond and caramelized onions..super Kalyani.
Harini R says
Loving the soup series Kalyani.
Gayathri Kumar says
Even I am not very keen on cooking bottle gourd. I buy it rarely as no one touches it. This soup looks like a nice way to sneak it into kid's diet..
MySpicyKitchen says
I never tried soup with bottle gourd. Couple of days ago Sowmya posted and now you. I am trying this soup when it gets cold here.
Nalini's Kitchen says
Never tried soup with bottle gourd,sounds like an interesting soup.Addition of moong dhal makes it more richer..
Priya Suresh says
Thats an interesting soup, i have tried bottlegourd in soup but not this way, love the addition of moongdal here.
Suja Ram says
That Soup bowl is so...comforting and drives me crazy. Can see the deliciousness through the pic. Bottlegourd is great for weightloss and I love to try this soup soon.
Suma Gandlur says
That sounds like an amazing soup and love the way you captured it.
Pavani says
Love this mild and yummy soup made with bottlegourd.
Smruti Ashar says
That is such a healthy soup! Bookmarked!
Archana says
Wow I love this one too Kalyani. Its beautifully pictured.
Srivalli says
What a fantastic way to include this veggie in the diet..the bowl looks amazing with those onions as well!
Sowmya :) says
Even I couldn't believe that bottle gourd could taste so good, that too in soup version. Yours looks gorgeous!
cookingwithsapana says
I love bottlegourd and am sure would love this soup.Nice one
The Pumpkin Farm says
its high time for me to switch my diet to soups , this series looks like a perfect place to start...moong and bottle gourd are super fat burning foods, u would know for sure...the soup looks amazing
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
The caramelized onion is a winning name in this dish. My older one loves them and he would finish that bowl in no time.