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Dudhi ki sabzi - Bottle gourd in gravy

There are some vegetables that never make it to our favourites' list. Most gourds, especially the bitter gourd for obvious reasons, and also the bottle gourd for being so tasteless. DH is absolutely a non-fussy eater but gourds deter him too. When I tried out an experiment with the bottle gourd for

Ingredients
  

  • pinch turmeric powder
  • pinch asafoetida
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup water

For masala

  • 2 chillies red - broken into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds heaped (white ellu)
  • 1 tbsp tur dal
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp saunf fennel seeds or (substitute with jeera if you dont have this, but good to use fennel)
  • pods garlic (optional) peeled 2
  • 1/4 Cup peanuts roasted
  • Coriander leaves for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Recipe to prepare masala:
  • Dry roast the ingredients - red chillies through garlic.
  • Once the tur dal turns golden, remove, cool and dry grind in small mixer with handful of roasted peanuts. If you dont have roasted peanuts, then first roast peanuts separately as it takes longer than other ingredients. Grind to a coarse powder, keep aside.
  • Recipe forDudhi ki sabzi - Bottle gourd in gravy:
  • Heat 3/4 cup water in a heavy pan. Bring to a boil with turmeric, salt and hing. Add the dudhi cubes and boil for 5-7 minutes until the pieces are soft but retain shape. They may be some water left over, but do not drain it OR microwave for 3 min on high.
  • Add masala powder to the cooked gourd pieces in the same pan. On a low flame, mix the cooked gourd with the masala. The excess water will be absorbed by the powder. Add a little more water if necessary.
  • Check for salt and garnish with coriander. This dish with pair fantastically with chapatis or even dosai, may be even bread.

Notes

Notes:
You wont miss the oil at all here, for the natural oils in sesame seeds and peanuts give it a rich taste.
You can try this with any other squash or gourd, for eg. Zucchini.
Bottle gourd is low-carb as are many others from this family, this makes an excellent diabetic recipe as well as a low-carber's recipe.
You can use the saved bottle gourd peels to make a chutney by sauteeing it with spices and dried lentils, and pulsing it in the blender.
Source: Adapted from a friend's recipe