November 25, 2020

Recipe for Prawn & Dudhi(Bottlegourd) Caldine

Name: Recipe for Prawn & Dudhi(Bottlegourd) Caldine
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 250 gms Prawns(around 20-25 prawns); 800-900 gms Bottle Gourd(Dudee/Dudhi); ½ Veg or Chicken Bouillon cube (optional); 2-4 Green chillies (slit); 1 small Tomato chopped fine; ½ Medium sized Onion chopped fine; 1 Tbspn Oil(I prefer using Coconut Oil but you can use anycooking oil of your choice); 1 Tspn Salt for the Prawns; 2 Cups of Water for the curry; 6Tbsp Fresh Coconut (grated); ½ Medium sized Onion (roughly chopped); 1/2 Tspn Turmeric Powder; 4-6 Big Garlic cloves; 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds; 1 Tspn Pepper corns; 1 Tspn Coriander seeds; 1/2 Tspn Sugar (you can add more later if you like it sweeter); 1 Marble size Ball of Tamarind or 1 Tspn Vinegar (you can add more pulp later if you like it more tangy); 1/2 Cup Water (for grinding the masala)

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Recipe for Prawn & Dudhi(Bottlegourd) Caldine

In this recipe, I’ve used Dudhi(Bottle Gourd) and Fresh Prawns

Nana's Special - Prawn & Dudee Caldine

My Nana Doll would always eat her curry like this, Bread pieces dunked into the Curry where all the Bread would be soaked with the Curry. She would tell us it's Fun to eat like this, but my GrandPops would take us on the side and tell us "Arey mahtari ko daanth nahi hai re, iskeliye".(The Old Lady doesn't have Teeth)... Shhhhh

Oh How I miss my Nana and Papa I'm sure they're laughing from up above

At home, We call Caldine “Sweet Curry” as this is a very mild curry with no spice nor spicy red Chillies like the other Goan curries. Whenever we are under the weather, my Mum makes this light and simple “Sweet Curry” for us. I remember My Mom making this curry for any of our family members who are unwell, especially the Elder folk, she always takes a container of “sweet curry” for them. But she uses White Pomfrets in the curry so that it is easier and light to digest😊

This curry base is so versatile and you can use any Fish and Vegetables of your choice. You can also make this using a combination of various Vegetables.

In this recipe, I’ve used Dudhi(Bottle Gourd) and Fresh White Prawns.

Do give it a try

Course Main, Main Course

Cuisine Goan

Keyword Caldine, Dudhi, Prawn & Dudhi Caldine, Prawn Caldine, Sweet Curry

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Curry

250 gms Prawns(around 20-25 prawns)
800-900 gms Bottle Gourd(Dudee/Dudhi)
½ Veg or Chicken Bouillon cube (optional)
2-4 Green chillies (slit)
1 small Tomato chopped fine
½ Medium sized Onion chopped fine
1 Tbspn Oil(I prefer using Coconut Oil but you can use anycooking oil of your choice)
1 Tspn Salt for the Prawns
2 Cups of Water for the curry

For the Masala

6Tbsp Fresh Coconut (grated)
½ Medium sized Onion (roughly chopped)
1/2 Tspn Turmeric Powder
4-6 Big Garlic cloves
1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
1 Tspn Pepper corns
1 Tspn Coriander seeds
1/2 Tspn Sugar (you can add more later if you like it sweeter)
1 Marble size Ball of Tamarind or 1 Tspn Vinegar (you can add more pulp later if you like it more tangy)
1/2 Cup Water (for grinding the masala)

Instructions

Clean and wash the Prawns and apply 1 tspn salt and keep aside
Grind all the ingredients mentioned under the Masala section into a smooth finepaste by adding water little by little.
Note: I like my Dudhi and Prawn Caldine a little thick so I keep my Masala a little coarse.
Now in a Vessel, add the oil and Heat it on medium heat
Once the Oil turns hot, add the chopped Onion, Chillies and Tomatoes and saute until the onions turn a little brown
Then add the Prawns and saute for about 2-3 minutes
Note: Here you have two options
1) Add the Prawns at this stage and cook it all throughout. In this case, the Prawns will be Hard
2) Add the Prawns at the end. In that case the Prawn will have a crunch
Now add the freshly ground curry paste into the vessel
Add 1 cup of water into the mixer jar and give it a shake and add that water into the vessel too
Now, add the bouillon cube, give the curry a stir, cover the vessel with a lid and let it boil on medium flame for About 10-15 minutes
As the curry is boiling, we go ahead and get the Dudhi ready. Wash it thoroughly under running water
Cut it in circles
Peel off the skin of each cut circle
Cut each circle into 4 equal parts. If the circles are too big, you can cut it into 6.
Note:
Do not cut the Dudhi and keep aside for too long. It may get oxidised and turn black. Hence we cut it when the curry is boiling so that when the curry it ready, we immediately put the dudhi into it.
You have one more option of cleaning the Dudhi. You can take a Potato peeler and peel the outer skin of the Dudhi vertically and then cut it.
Once all the raw taste of the masala is no longer on the curry(Taste the curry for salt, sugar or vinegar/tamarind) we add the Dudhi into the curry and cover the vessel
Note: If you notice the gravy too thick, you can add some water as per your preference, If you like the gravy more runny. I like my Dudhi and Prawn Caldine a little thick and coarse so it may look a little thick at this stage. Also, once the Dudhi goes in, the gravy will begin to get thicker. So adjust the gravy consistency as per your preference
Once the curry begins to boil, take off the lid and let it boil for not more that 5- 7 minutes
Note: A fully ripe Dudhi takes just about 5-7 minutes to cook. Dudhi is a vegetable that cooks very fast. If it’s overcooked, it becomes extremely soft and loses it’s taste and texture. So be a little careful and vigilant once the Dudhi goes into the curry
Once the Dudhi is cooked, turn the heat off
Note: If you have decided to add the Prawns last, then add the Prawns into the curry and mark 30seconds and then turn off the heat. If you’re adding the Prawns last, be sure to go easy on the salt in the curry as the Prawns have salt too
I enjoy my Caldine just the way I used to enjoy it at Nana's place i.e. by dunking in my bread pieces and soaking each piece with the oh so delicious 'Sweet Curry'😋😋
However, you can enjoy Caldine with Kadak Pao, Hot Rice or Chapatis as well