Ucche Lau Diye Mung Dal: A Bengali Comfort Dish Recipe

This is an everyday Bengali classic dish- light, bitter, sweet, and deeply comforting all at once. This is also one of those dishes that shows how Bengali cooking balances flavors without cream, onions, or heavy masalas. Just a few ingredients, handled with care, results in a layered, complex, and soothing dish. It is perfect with hot rice and a squeeze of lime on a weekday lunch spread when you want something light yet satisfying. In traditional Bengali meal structure, a slightly bitter dish is often eaten at the beginning of a meal to stimulate the appetite and cool the system, especially in warm weather. In summer months, bottle gourd is abundant and lighter food is preferred. It is also occasionally part of a traditional wedding or puja meals where a balanced, sattvic spread is served alongside richer dishes. Bitter gourd has digestive and cooling properties while bottle gourd adds hydration and coolness, and mung dal is amongst the most easily digestible lentils. Ucche Lau Diye Mung Dal is the kind of dish that quietly resets your palate and your mood. The gentle sweetness of bottle gourd softens the sharp, medicinal bitterness of fried ucche, while mung dal brings a nutty body that feels nourishing without being heavy. It is humble home food, but when done right, it tastes elegant and is deeply nourishing @sarchakra

PREP TIME: 10 mins

COOK TIME: 25 mins

SERVES: 6

Ingredients

Mung dal 1 cup
Bitter gourd (ucche) 1, large, thinly sliced into rounds
Bottle gourd (lau) ½, peeled and chopped into small cubes
Mustard oil 3 tbsp, divided
Salt to taste
Sugar 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 2 tsp, divided
Nigella seeds (kalonji) ½ tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Dry red chilies 2, broken
Ginger paste 2 tsp
Green chillies 2-3, slit
Ghee 1 tbsp

Method

Rinse the mung dal well until the water runs mostly clear. In a pressure cooker, add the dal, ½ tsp turmeric, salt, and 2 cups water. Cook for 1 whistle on medium heat, then turn off the heat and let the pressure release naturally. The dal should be soft but not mushy. Lightly whisk or stir to break it up just a bit and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a wide pan until it reaches smoking point, then lower the heat slightly.
Add the sliced bitter gourd, a pinch of salt, and ½ tsp turmeric. Fry on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the slices are golden brown and slightly crisp at the edges. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tbsp mustard oil. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle, add nigella seeds and broken dry red chilies. Let them sizzle for a few seconds until fragrant.
Add the ginger paste and sauté for about 30 seconds, just until the raw smell disappears.
Add the chopped bottle gourd, salt, and the remaining 1 tsp turmeric. Stir well to coat with the spices.
Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. The lau will release water and soften. Cook until tender but still holding shape.
Add the cooked mung dal to the pan along with 1 cup hot water (adjust depending on how thick you like your dal). Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover and cook for another 5 to 7 mins so the flavors meld and the bottle gourd finishes cooking.
Add the fried bitter gourd and sugar. Add the slit green chilies. Simmer for 2 to 3 more mins. Taste and adjust salt and sweetness. The final flavor should be lightly bitter, gently sweet, and savory.
Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp ghee for a soft, aromatic finish.
Serve hot with plain steamed rice. A wedge of gondhoraj lebu or lime and a simple Alu Bhaja (Thin Fried Potato) or Begun Bhaja (Pan Fried Eggplant Slices) on the side turns this into a perfect, traditional Bengali meal that feels both grounding and restorative.