Ingredients
11/2 kg Snake gourd
1/2 cup Chana Dhal (split bengal
gram), soaked for 1 hour
For Masala:
Dried Red chilies – as per spiciness
1 tbsp. Aniseed (saunf)
1/4 cup Grated coconut
Salt – to taste
Tempering:
1 tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Mustard seeds
5 – 6 Curry leaves |
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Procedure
Wash and peel the snake gourd and slice it vertically into half. Remove pith and seeds and cut into semi circles horizontally. Cook the chana dhal in water till just tender, it should not get overcooked and mushy. You can cook this on the stove top or in a pressure cooker for just one whistle. Ideally, it should still have a little bite to it so that it can cook some more with the masala and the snake gourd. Grind the masala ingredients to a paste adding as little water as possible. Heat oil in a kadai/wok; when hot add mustard seeds and when they pop add the curry leaves. Add the chopped snake gourd and stir fry for 3 minutes on high. Then reduce flame, add the masala and fry for 3 minutes more.Add salt and 1/2 cup of water or just enough to cover the snake gourd, cover and cook on low for 3-4 minutes till the snake gourd is half cooked. Add the cooked chana dhal to the half cooked snake gourd. Cook for another 5 minutes till the snake gourd is fully cooked and the masala becomes dry and chana dhal is soft. Add a splash of water if needed. If there is excess water; increase the heat so that it dries up.
Note: The chana dhal shouldn’t get mashed, so if it is already very soft after cooking, then it should be added right at the end to the vegetable and not stirred too much, so that it remains whole and doesn’t fall apart.
Serves 4 – 6 |