Lau dal recipe, lau diye muger dal recipe, Bengali moong dal recipe with lauki with simple step-by-step pictures.
Lau dal is a Bengali style moong lentil soup with bottle gourd, a completely vegan & vegetarian dal recipe from Bengali cuisine. In Bengali cuisine, this yellow moong lentil and bottle gourd recipe is also known as lau diye muger dal or Bengali moong dal recipe with lauki (hindi name of Bottle gourd). This Bottle gourd dal goes best with plain rice and dry sabzi, however, can have with roti or chapati too at lunch or dinner.

“Lau” is Bengali term which means Bottle gourd in English and lauki or dudhi in Hindi and here “Dal” means Bengali moong lentil (split moong dal).
1. Soft & tender bottle gourd (Norom kochi lau) with immature seeds or without seeds is best for making this Bengali moong dal recipe.
2. In our traditional Bengali cuisine, sona mug (a tiny split yellow moong dal produced in West Bengal) is used for making this lau diye bhaja muger dal recipe. So you can use sona mung if get around any Bengali store or can use simple moong dal available nearby stores or can use organic packet moong dal too.
3. Bhaja muger dal or dry roasted moong dal is used for making this Bengali bottle gourd dal. However, you can make this recipe with raw moong dal (Kancha muger dal) too.
Bottle gourd itself is a healthy vegetable which keeps our stomach cool and healthy. As this bottle gourd moong dal is cooked without onion and garlic which is one more reason for keeping the stomach in good condition during summer.
Let’s see how to prepare this delicious bottle gourd lentil soup (lau diye muger dal recipe or Bengali moong dal recipe with lauki) at home with step-by-step detail with pictures.
Few Bengali dal recipes
Cholar dal recipe
Sabji diye Moong dal recipe (no onion garlic vegetable dal)
Lau dal recipe – Lau diye muger dal recipe- Bengali moong dal recipe with lauki step by step
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Bengali, IndianDifficulty: Easy8
servings5
minutes20
minutes300
kcal25
minutesLau dal (Lau diye muger dal or Bengali style lauki moong dal) is a less spicy bottle gourd and moong lentil soup cooked with simple Bengali spices. This dal is perfect for lunch or dinner with rice, roti, chapati and any dry veg curry.
Ingredients of Lau dal
100 g Split Moong dal / Muger daal
300 g Lau or Bottle gourd or Lauki or dudhi
1/2 inch Ginger
1 Green chilli
1 Tomato (Medium size)
3/4 tsp Cumin Powder
3/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Chilli powder(optional)
1/8 tsp Hing
1+ 1/4 tsp Sugar
1+ 1/2 tsp Salt
1 Bay leaf
1 Red Chilli
A handful of Coriander leaves
2 tbsp Mustard Oil
How to make lau diye muger dal recipe
- Thoroughly wash the lau (lauki / dudhi/ bottle gourd) and clean out its skin first then cut into small to medium cubes. Dry roast the moong dal until golden and thoroughly wash it off.
- Put the dal and bottle gourd in a pressure cooker with 1+1/2 cup of water and cook it for 2 whistles blowing on high heat.
- In the meantime, prepare dal er masala by making a smooth paste of tomato, ginger and green chilli.
- Heat a pan with oil, and temper the hot oil with whole cumin seeds, bay leaves and whole red chilli.
- Once the aroma comes from the spices add the masala paste followed by cumin powder, hing, turmeric, a little red chilli powder, salt and sugar.
- Nicely roast the masala until the masala’s raw smell goes off and release oil from the sides.
- Then pour the boiled moong dal and bottle gourd (straight from the pressure cooker) into the pan and mix it well.
- Let the dal boil, and add turmeric powder and 3 cups of water to make the right consistency.
- When the dal gets slightly thick, add a handful of chopped coriander leaves. Give a good stir.
- Boil the dal for 1 more min and turn off the heat. Lau diye muger dal is ready, and serve with gorom bhat and dry Bengali sabzi or bhaja.
Notes
- Remove the pressure cooker lid when the cooker automatically releases its pressure.
How to make lau diye bengali moong dal recipe step by step with pictures
1. Thoroughly wash the lau (lauki / dudhi / bottle gourd) and clean out its skin first, then cut into small to medium cubes.

2. Dry roast the moong dal until golden and thoroughly wash it off.

3. Put the dal and bottle gourd in a pressure cooker with 1+1/2 cup of water and cook it for 2 whistles to blow on high heat.

4. In the meantime, prepare dal er masala by making a smooth paste of tomato, ginger and green chilli.

5. Heat a pan with oil, and temper the hot oil with whole cumin seeds, bay leaves and whole red chilli.

6. Once the aroma comes from the spices add the masala paste followed by cumin powder, hing, a little red chilli powder, salt and sugar.

7. Nicely roast the masala until the masala’s raw smell goes off and release oil from the sides.

8. Then pour the boiled moong dal and bottle gourd (straight from the pressure cooker) into the pan and mix it well.

9. Let boil the dal, add turmeric powder and 3 cups of water to make the right consistency.

10. When the dal gets slightly thick, add a handful of chopped coriander leaves. Give a good stir.

11. Boil the dal for 1 more min and turn off the heat. Lau diye bengali moong dal is ready, serve with gorom bhat and Bengali style sabzi or bhaja.