Recipe for a Spicy Snake Gourd/Poddolim/Podoi/Padval Bhaji
Sometimes All you want is a Simple Bhaji and some Hot Chaps....This is exactly how this dish was created. After a very Fat Feasty Weekend, I just wanted to go All Veg! Oh Yes....The Carnivore Me! hahaha! So, I went to the Market and purchased 5 different veggies for the week and decided to go All Veg for that week. Did it last?? well let's save that for another day! hahahaFrom All the veggies, I enjoy cooking Snakegourd because 1) it is the easiest and quickest to clean and cut and 2) it is the quickest to cook as wellSince I was eating this as a Single Main dish with Hot Chaps, I decided to add some simple spices and some roasted gram to give it some texture(completely different from the usual fugath that we make at home as a side). So Yum! DO give it a try!
Ingredients
- 500 gms Snake Gourd
- 1 Medium sized Onion – chopped fine
- 1 Small Tomato – chopped fine
- 1 Green Chillies – chopped fine
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 4-6 Garlic cloves – roughly crushed
- 1 Tspn Mustard Seeds
- ½ Tspn Turmeric Powder
- ½ Tspn Chilly Powder
- 2 Tspn Roasted gram(optional)
- ½ Tspn Dry Coriander Seed Powder
- 3 Tspn Fresh Grated Coconut
- A small piece of Jaggery or ½ Tspn Sugar
- 4-5 sprigs Fresh Coriander with Stem – chopped fine
- 1.5 Tspn Salt or as per taste
- 2 Tbspn Oil
Instructions
- Wash the snakegourd and cut it vertically into twoNote: you can take a Potato peeler or a Knife and very randomly run it through the outer skin of the Snakegourd and scrape off the white layer on the surface. It’s optional. I don’t scrape it off I just thoroughly wash the snakegourd
- With the help of your Thumb, slide the seeds and cotton like substance from inside the Snakegourd and thoroughly wash the Snakegourd again
- You have three options1) To slice it as it is2) To further cut the vertical halves into 4 and then slice it(if the Snakegourd is wide in size, I cut it into 4 verticals)3) Cut 4 verticals and further cut the Snakegourd into cubes
- In a skillet, heat the Oil on medium heat and add the mustard seeds once the oil turns hot
- Then add the curry leaves and the crushed garlic
- When the Garlic begins to turn Brown, add the Onion and Chillies and let it cook well
- Once the Onion turn translucent, add the Roasted Gram and Tomatoes and allow it cook until the tomatoes turn soft
- Then add the Snakegourd Veg, Coconut, Turmeric Powder, Chilly Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt and Sugar/Jaggery. Mix it well and cover the pan. Do not add any waterCovering the vessel will release some waterNote: Most Gourds release a lot of water when it is cooked. And most veggies release water when Salt is added. So do not add any more waterAlso, Most veggies reduce in quantity after cooked. So, what may look like a lot when it’s just cut and kept, will reduce to almost half. So, plan your quantity well.
- After about 5 minutes take off the lid and Let the Vegetable cook in it’s own juices and water until all the water is evaporated.
- Add the Coriander and further cook the Veg for another 2-3minutes and turn off the heat
- Enjoy this Simple yet flavour packed Veggie nice and Hot with Hot Chapatis. So Yum!
