Home-Style Chicken & Lauki Curry
Add 1 Signature All-in-One potli with the water just before the covered cooking stage. Let it infuse while the chicken and lauki cook, then remove before serving.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- Bone-in chicken — 700 g, curry-cut
- Bottle gourd (lauki) — 400 g, peeled and cut into 3 cm cubes
- Oil or ghee — 2 tbsp
- Onion — 2 medium / about 220 g, finely chopped
- Ginger-garlic paste — 1 tbsp
- Tomato — 2 medium / about 200 g, finely chopped
- Green chilli — 1, slit
- Turmeric — ¼ tsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder — ½ tsp
- Salt — 1¼ tsp, or to taste
- Hot water — 1½ cups
Zaika Potli
- Signature All-in-One — 1 potli
For Finishing
- Fresh coriander — 2 tbsp, chopped
- Lemon juice — 1 tsp, optional
Cooking Instructions
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1Heat oil or ghee in a pressure pan or heavy kadai.
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2Add onion and cook over medium heat until golden.
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3Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilli. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the raw aroma disappears.
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4Add tomatoes, turmeric and chilli powder.
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5Bhuno until the tomatoes are soft and the oil begins appearing at the edges.
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6Add chicken and salt. Increase the heat slightly and cook for 6–8 minutes, turning frequently, until the chicken loses its raw appearance and becomes well coated in the masala.
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7Add lauki and mix gently.
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8Pour in 1½ cups hot water and add the Signature All-in-One potli.
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9Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes, or pressure-cook briefly according to your cooker, until the chicken is fully cooked and the lauki is tender but not completely dissolved.
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10If using a pressure cooker, allow the pressure to release naturally.
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11Remove the potli.
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12Simmer uncovered for 3–5 minutes if the gravy is thinner than desired.
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13Taste and adjust salt.
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14Finish with coriander and optional lemon juice.
Do not cut the lauki too small. It softens faster than chicken, so larger cubes are less likely to disappear into the gravy before the meat is tender.
🍽️ Perfect Serving Pairings
My Take On Home-Style Chicken & Lauki Curry
Chicken and lauki make a lighter, everyday curry in which the vegetable absorbs the flavour of the gravy while the chicken provides richness. The Signature All-in-One potli works well here because its cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom, pepper and dry ginger profile gives the broth depth without making the dish excessively heavy.
The Secret: Do not cut the lauki too small. It softens faster than chicken, so larger cubes are less likely to disappear into the gravy before the meat is tender.