Before a long fast, the food at sehri should be nutritious, easy to digest and satisfying. Heavy food or dishes with too much oil and spice can cause discomfort during the day. So you can serve a light, healthy dish of ash gourd cooked with red lentils (masoor dal) at sehri.

Red lentils are a good source of protein, iron and fibre, while ash gourd helps keep the body cool and reduce dehydration. Together they give the energy needed at sehri, keep you feeling full and keep the body comfortable all day. Here is the recipe.

First cut, wash and clean the ash gourd and drain the water. Meanwhile, in a pot, cook oil, chopped onion, fenugreek, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt well. Then add the red lentils and fry for a few minutes, adding a little water if needed. When the lentils are partly cooked, add the ash gourd pieces and cook for a few minutes.

Then add water as needed and cover. When the lentils and ash gourd are cooked, add tomato pieces. Finally add green chillies and chopped coriander leaves and take it off the heat. Your nutritious dish is ready.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.