snake gourd stir fry

potlakaai or snake gourd is a hot favourite at out table…. its soft sweetish flesh is not just versatile in the way it can be adapted to many kinds of preparationsand it is easy to cook. the longish snake like look of this vegetable is a put off to many i know. the outer skin needs to be gently scraped, and once cut into 6 inch cylinders, it has to be slit so that the soft encasing inside that houses the seeds can be scraped off too… i usually do this with a teaspoon. i usually chop this vegetable smallish to reduce the cooking time….another trick is to steam it in the microwave oven for about 5 minutes to drastically reduce overal preparation time. this way, by the time the vegetable has been steamed, the seasonings and aromatics have been cooked and a quick stir later, the dish is ready to be served. this time i added a little of the sesame groundnut chutney powder to add another dimension to this simple dish. 

snake gourd stir fry (serves 3)

3 c snake gourd, scraped, washed and chopped

2 T chopped onion

1 T chopped garlic

1 green chilli slit

2 T groundnut sesame podi

salt to taste

pinch of turmeric

2 T fresh grated coconut

1 t mustard seeds

1 t oil

a few curry leaves

 

in a micro oven bowl place the chopped vegetable, cover and steam in the microwave oven for 5 mins. in the menawhile, heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds, add the green chillies, onions and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes till translucent. add the turmeric, salt and add the steamed snake gourd to the pan, stir and cover and cook for 2 minutes. uncover, add the podi, coocnut and curry leaves, stir, serve hot with rotis or rice and sambhar / dal.