Lau-chingri

The three cooling vegetables, patol, jhinge and lau, all belong to the gourd family and are indigenous to Bengal, having a pre-Aryan history. Marrow or courgette could be used as substitutes for them in the West, though the final product will fall far short of the real thing. The lau, or white gourd, is now becoming available in many Chinese vegetable shops. Its versatility is most apparent in its combination with evaporated milk, ghee and sugar to make a dessert, a speciality of East Benga