Instead of the small variety, you can also use the longer variety of snake gourd. Slit open, scrape out seeds and slice into 1 cm thick slices, to get roughly 2.5 cups of sliced snake gourd.

Take a small pressure cooker (1.5-2 litres). Place the sliced snake gourd in the cooker with little over 1/4 cup water and 1/2 tsp salt. Close the cooker lid with the weight on. After 1 whistle, turn off flame and release the excess pressure. Open cooker and drain any remaining water by passing the cooked vegetable through a sieve.

Heat oil in a saute pan. Add mustard seeds, dried chillies, urad dal and curry leaves. Fry until the seeds pop, chillies turn bright red and urad dal turns golden brown.

Add cooked and drained snake gourd slices and toss well to combine. Check for seasoning and add a pinch or two of salt if needed and stir gently to combine.

Garnish with fresh coconut and serve hot.