Dahi Lauki Ki Sabji is an Indian-style bottle gourd curry. A vegetarian main course dish cooked without onion, garlic, or tomato. You can dip hot chapati into this Dahiwali Lauki, or relish it with rice; either way, this lauki ki sabji is truly comforting.
What is Lauki?
Lauki is the Hindi term for bottle gourd. It is also known as doodhi or ghiya in many regions of Northern India. Bottle Gourd is a thick, fleshy vegetable vine that grows in tropical countries. It belongs to the squash family.
In India, it is creatively used to make a variety of sabzi, vegetarian kofta, mithai, or kheer. It is one of those vegetables which are easy to cook and digest.
Dahi Lauki Ki Sabji is one of my favorite comfort food. It is one of that minimal effort, maximum flavor sorts of dishes that fit just right for everyday meal menus.
More Reasons To LOVE This Lauki Ki Sabji
- vegetarian
- nut-free
- gluten-free
- one pot dish
- pressure cooker recipe
- no onion, garlic, or tomato
Ingredients Required
Bottle Gourd: A sign of a healthy, young gourd is pale green, smooth skin that is quite firm and blemish-free.
Ghee: It gives a subtly sweet taste and aroma to lauki ki sabji.
Whole Spices: Cumin, Fenugreek Seeds (methi dana), Kasuri Methi
Spice Powder: Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Black Pepper Powder, Dried Ginger Powder (saunth), Garam Masala Powder
Curd: Use plain, thick curd with malai (cream). You can substitute malai with a tablespoon of cooking cream.
Other Ingredients: Salt, water, and fresh coriander
How To Make
Step 1) Remove the bottle gourd’s outer skin and white seeds/flesh. Wash it. Cut the bottle gourd into tiny equal size pieces.
Step 2) Whisk curd and cream nicely to a smooth, spoon-dropping consistency. Keep it aside until required.
Step 3) Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Once hot, add cumin and fenugreek seeds. Saute for 10 – 20 seconds. Add chopped bottle gourd, turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder, and water. Stir to combine (images 1 & 2).
Step 4) Pressure Cook bottle gourd over low heat for 2 – 3 whistles. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.
Step 5) Open the lid of the pressure cooker. Gently mash the bottle gourd with the back of the ladle. Slowly add whisked curd, and continuously stir the curry with another hand (image 3).
Step 6) Add black pepper, ginger powder, garam masala, and kasuri methi. Mix. Simmer lauki ki sabji over low heat for 5 minutes (image 4).
Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and serve warm.
My Tried & True Tips
Bottle Gourd is one of the easy-to-cook vegetables. It requires only two to three whistles over medium heat to get ready. Hence, do not cook it for too long.
Bottle Gourd or any other squash releases a lot of water/liquid while cooking. Hence, while pressure-cooking the vegetable, do not add too much water to make the curry.
Before adding curd to lauki ki sabji, whisk it nicely, so there aren’t any lumps.
Stir the curry continuously while adding the curd to avoid lump formation.
Do not cook the curry for too long after adding the curd. Simmer only for 3 – 5 minutes.
Serving Suggestion
Dahi Lauki Ki Sabji is an Indian main course dish. In my family, we serve it for lunch with ghee-laced chapati or phulka.
So delicious and satisfying in its simplicity. I like to make it on days when somebody in the family needs a wholesome and light-on-stomach meal, on hot summer days, or after an array of greasy food indulgences.
I will not recommend storing it in the refrigerator as the curry tastes best when freshly made and served hot.
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Dahi Lauki Ki Sabji Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cup bottle gourd
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 Cup water
- ¼ Cup curd
- 1 tablespoon cream (malai or fresh cream)
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala (get recipe)
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- Remove the bottle gourd’s outer skin and white seeds/flesh. Wash it. Cut the bottle gourd into tiny equal size pieces.
- Whisk curd and cream nicely to a smooth, spoon-dropping consistency. Keep it aside until required.
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Once hot, add cumin and fenugreek seeds. Saute for 10 – 20 seconds. Add chopped bottle gourd, turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder, and water. Stir to combine.
- Pressure Cook bottle gourd over low heat for 2 – 3 whistles. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.
- Open the lid of the pressure cooker. Gently mash the bottle gourd with the back of the ladle. Slowly add whisked curd, and continuously stir the curry with another hand.
- Add black pepper, ginger powder, garam masala, and kasuri methi. Mix. Simmer lauki ki sabji over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Serve Dahi Lauki Ki Sabji with hot Phulkas.
Recipe Notes:
- Bottle Gourd or any other squash releases a lot of water/liquid while cooking. Hence, do not add too much water to make the curry.
- Before adding curd to lauki ki sabji, whisk it nicely so there aren’t any lumps. Also, make sure curd is at room temperature and not cold or straight out of the refrigerator.
Maya says
Nice recipe. I do something similar with Thurai. As usual love your pictures …….they are awesome !
Tabassum says
Beautiful and tasty!
Hina Gujral says
thank you so much!