Bottle gourd is one of the earliest vegetables cultivated by man, believed to be originated in Africa. Not very familiar to the western world, it is one of the favorite vegetables in Indian Cuisine. Bottle gourd or Lauki has many beneficial properties that are valued in traditional healing. It is low in fat and cholesterol but high in fiber. It is excellent for light low calorie diets, as well as for small children, people with digestive problems and diabetics. The juice of a bottle gourd is an excellent remedy for acidity, indigestion and ulcers. I started including this in my diet only when I settled in Delhi for a while after my marriage. All I would do was make a rasdar with some onions and tomatoes. But after coming to the US, I learned that lot more was possible with this vegetable like the kheer, raita and teplas. Nowadays, I make all kinds of dishes with lauki(however yet to try the kheer). Around the time I started this food blog which is now 2 months old, I got the u...