Lauki ka Raita is a simple and refreshing savory side dish made with bottle gourd (lauki) and curd (yogurt). Light, cooling, and mildly spiced, this raita complements a variety of Indian meals. It pairs especially well with pulao, biryani, or even a basic dal-rice or roti-sabzi platter. Cooked lauki adds a soft texture, while curd brings a soothing tang. A perfect summer-friendly dish that’s both healthy and hydrating.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Ingredients

  • ¾ to 1 cup or (100 to 125 grams) bottle gourd (- grated, (calabash, opo squash, lauki, ghiya))
  • 1 to 1.25 cups water
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (240 to 250 grams) curd ((dahi or yogurt), chilled or)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon green chillies (- finely chopped; or serrano pepper or ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or cayenne)
  • ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  • 1 pinch garam masala ((optional))
  • black salt (or pink salt or regular salt, as required)

Method

Cooking bottle gourd

  1. Rinse and peel bottle gourd. Cut a small piece and check the taste. If bitter then trash the bottle gourd.
  2. If the bottle gourd has a pleasant, mild taste and is not bitter, then shred or grate it and set aside.You can use a food processor or a box grater. Aim for ¾ to 1 cup of grated bottle gourd.
  3. Now take the grated lauki and 1 to 1.25 cups water in a pan.
  4. Mix very well and keep the pan on stovetop. Add salt.
  5. Simmer on medium-low heat and cook this mixture uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes or until the grated bottle gourd softens

Straining

  1. Once done, turn off the heat. Strain the cooked bottle gourd in a mesh sieve. Press with a spoon so that all the water is extracted from the cooked bottle gourd.
  2. You can also press the lauki in your palms when the cooked lauki becomes warm or cools down.For quick cooling, simply add the cooked lauki to a bowl of cold water. Then strain and squeeze the grated cooked gourd.
  3. Use the strained water to add to dal (lentils) or to any vegetable recipe.

Making lauki ka raita

  1. Whisk fresh chilled curd or yogurt until smooth.
  2. Add the cooked lauki and chopped green chilies.
  3. Add the roasted cumin powder, a pinch of garam masala powder and black salt or regular salt.
  4. Mix very well.
  5. Serve immediately or chill (refrigerate) and serve later in a couple of hours. You can garnish with coriander leaves while serving.

Serving suggestions

  1. Rice recipes: Lauki raita tastes good with a pulao, veg biryani and with any flavored or spiced rice varieties.
  2. Lentils: It also pairs nicely with a side of dal tadka, masoor dal, moong dal or dal fry with some roti or steamed rice.
  3. Vegetables: You can even serve it as a dipping sauce with vegetable crudités and even with snacks like pakoda or aloo tikki. As a side dish it tastes great with any North Indian vegetable dish or curry.
  4. Paratha: You can serve any stuffed paratha with this raita.

Storage

  1. Refrigerate the leftovers in a covered container only for a day. Lauki raita tastes best when freshly made and served.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.