Preparation

• Wash chana dal with water 2-3 times until the water runs clear.
• Soak it in 3-4 cups of water for at least 20 minutes.
Soaking the chana dal is crucial; otherwise, it will take longer to cook than the lauki, and the lauki will become overly soft.
Always taste a small piece of lauki (bottle gourd) before cooking. If it tastes unusually bitter, discard it immediately, as bitter lauki can contain harmful compounds and may cause illness. Use only fresh, mild-tasting lauki to make a safe and delicious lauki chana dal.
• Gather the remaining ingredients.

Cook The Dal

In An Instant Pot

• Press SAUTE button on the instant pot.
• Once it says HOT, add ghee.
• Once the ghee is hot, add onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until they turn light brown, stirring frequently.
Don’t rush this step, as the browned onions make the backbone of the flavor.
• Add ginger, garlic, green chilies, and tomatoes, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Now, add the lauki and cook for a minute.
• Drain the water from the chana dal and add the dal to the pot along with turmeric powder, salt, and 1 and ½ cups of water and stir well.
Be careful about the quantity of water. Lauki has a lot of water, which gets released when it's cooked. So do not add too much extra water; otherwise, your dal will become watery.
• Close the Instant Pot‘s lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
• Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 12 minutes at High Pressure. The Instant Pot will take some time to build up the pressure and start the timer (10-12 minutes).
• Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
• Release the remaining pressure manually, then open the pot lid. The dal should be soft enough to mash between your fingers but still hold some shape, not mushy. The same goes for lauki.
• Add garam masala powder and lime juice and stir the dal gently.
• Add more water if the dal is too thick for your liking.
• Check for salt and add more if required.

In A Traditional Stovetop Pressure Cooker

• To make the dal in a traditional pressure cooker, follow the recipe until the water is added to the pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add 3 cups of water instead of 1 and ½ cups in the Instant Pot recipe. Cook under pressure for 1 whistle on high heat. Then, set the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes.
• Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid. Add more water if the dal is thick.
• Add garam masala powder and lime juice and stir the dal gently.

Temper The Dal

• Heat ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat. 
• Once the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and asafetida and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds. 
• Remove the pan from heat. Add chili powder and immediately pour the tempering over the cooked dal.
• Stir gently.
Save some tempering to garnish the dal.
• Garnish with cilantro (and the reserved tempering) and serve hot.