Method:

Take dal in a bowl and wash it. Add some water to the dal and keep it aside. Wash, peel and cut the bottle gourd into medium sized pieces. Add the gourd pieces to the dal and place this bowl in a pressure cooker and cook. After first whistle, lower the flame and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the dal when the pressure cooker cools down.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to the cooked dal.

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is hot add the black gram and fry till the seeds start changing colour to light brown. Then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and fry till they crackle. Now add the asafoetida and curry leaves and fry well. Add the prepared dal to the seasoning and mix well. If required add some water to get the right consistency. Bring it to a boil and then transfer to a serving bowl.  Serve hot with plain rice and any pickle as side dish.

Points to Observe:

It is advisable to wash the vegetables before cutting them rather than washing the cut vegetables to retain the vitamins. So wash bottle gourd first and then cut to retain the vitamins.

Fry the mustard seeds till they crackle well otherwise taste differs as the non fried mustard seeds taste bitter.

Invest in a pressure cooker for healthier and faster cooking.