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Kaddu bhaat
Bottle gourd dal with rice
कद्दू भात: the Nahay-khay meal of bottle gourd chana dal, rice and rock salt for Chhath
Chhath begins with Nahay-khay: after a holy bath in the Ganga or a pond, the women and men keeping the fast in Bihar and Jharkhand eat one pure, simple meal, and it is always kaddu (bottle gourd) cooked with chana dal, plain rice and a ghee-fried sabzi, seasoned only with sendha namak (rock salt) and no onion or garlic. The dal is mild, soft and sweet from the gourd, with cumin, ginger and green chilli. Common mistake: adding the gourd at the start, so it collapses to mush; cook the chana dal soft first, then simmer the gourd until just translucent. Chef's tip: grate a spoon of fresh ginger into the ghee tadka at the end; it is the main flavour since there is no garlic.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the kaddu dal
- 5 ½ oz chana dalsoaked 1 hour
- 3 ¾ cups water
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ⅛ lb bottle gourd (lauki)peeled and cut in 2 cm cubes
- 1 ¼ tsp rock salt (sendha namak)
For the tadka
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 green chillislit
To serve
- 7 oz basmati or arwa ricecooked plainly
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Drain 5 ½ oz chana dal and simmer it in 3 ¾ cups water with ½ tsp ground turmeric, partly covered, for 25–30 minutes until soft but still holding its shape.
30 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅛ lb bottle gourd (lauki) and 1 ¼ tsp rock salt (sendha namak) and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the gourd is translucent and tender.
12 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a small pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf and 1 dried red chilli; when the cumin darkens add 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 1 green chilli and fry for 30 seconds.
2 minStep 4: Pour the tadka into the dal and simmer 2 minutes. Serve hot with 7 oz basmati or arwa rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kaddu bhaat take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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