Lauki, doodhi, ghiya­—no matter what you call it, bottle gourd is more of a “punishment pakwaan” for most of us. It’s the sabzi your mom bribes you into eating with promises of letting you order pizza for your next meal.

And does it really come as a surprise that such an unpalatable vegetable carries a host of health benefits? Just our luck.

Keeping all this in mind, we decided to share some quick and easy lauki recipes that will trick you into liking this dreadful vegetable.

1. Lauki Cheela

Besan cheela

is an easy protein-rich dish that is enjoyed by most. These so-called “Indian pancakes” are quite versatile when it comes to the addition of ingredients, and some grated lauki can be disguised well within its batter. In fact, it may even make your regular cheelas crispier.

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Ingredients:

3/4 cup lauki, grated

3/4 cup besan

1/4 cup sooji

1/4 cup curd

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp hing

1/4 tsp haldi

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1 and 3/4 tsp oil, for greasing

3 and 1/2 tsp oil, for cooking

Method:

Combine all the ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl, add water, and mix well to make the batter. Heat a flat, non-stick tawa and grease it with 1/4 tsp of oil. Use a ladle to pour some batter on the hot tawa and spread it evenly to make a circle. Routinely drizzle some oil and flip, until both the sides turn golden brown.

Serve hot with some green chutney and/or tomato ketchup.

Read Tarla Dalal’s recipe for these cheelas here.

2. Lauki Raita

This raita recipe is really sneaky and can fool you into thinking that you’re having some good old kheere ka raita. Works well though, right?

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Ingredients:

1 medium sized lauki, peeled, boiled and grated

1 cucumber, peeled and grated

1 and 1/2 green chillies, finely chopped

3 cups yogurt, chilled and whisked

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp black salt

1/2 tsp salt, to taste

A pinch of red chilli powder

Coriander/mint leaves, finely chopped

Method:

In a large bowl, add the grated lauki, cucumber, and green chillies. Add the curd, along with the cumin powder, black salt, salt, and red chilli powder, and whisk well. Garnish with the chopped coriander or mint leaves, and serve.

This raita pairs well with all your favourite parathas and pulaos.

Related: 5 Rice Recipes To Turn Your Regular Chawal Into A Delicacy

3. Lauki Ki Kheer

Say whaaaaaaat?! Yes, you read that right. Our beloved lauki can be transformed into a rather tasty kheer.

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Ingredients:

1 cup lauki, grated

1/2 tbsp ghee

1/2 cup milk powder

2 tbsp sugar

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 tbsp almond slivers

Method:

In a deep, non-stick pan, heat the ghee and saute the lauki on a medium flame for about 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until it melts into the ghee and lauki mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the almond slivers, and cook on a medium flame for another 4-5 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Once done, keep aside to cool for a bit.

Garnish with the almond slivers, and serve warm.

Related: Need To Impress Your Desi Folks? Try These 8 Easy Recipes For Indian Desserts

There you have it—three quick and easy lauki recipes which will help you gobble down some of that gourd goodness.

Love these lauki recipes? Tell us, and we may just give you some priceless karela and tinda hacks as well!