Simply sponge gourd

Try these delicious and easy-to-prepare sponge gourd recipes to make your lunch menu interesting

Sponge Gourd Bharta

Ingredients: Half a kilo of sponge gourd; ¼ cup of peanuts; 3 to 4 cloves of garlic; ½ tsp of mustard seeds; 5 green chillies slit vertically and 3 tsp of oil.

Method: Clean the sponge gourd and cut into half circular pieces. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds, slit chillies and peanuts. Fry for a while. Now add the sponge gourd and salt, cover the vessel. Cook on medium flame, add diced garlic. Let it cook completely.

Sponge Gourd & Peas

Ingredients: Half a kilo of sponge gourd; a cup of dried peas (soaked overnight); 1 tsp of red chilli powder; ¼ tsp of hing; ¼ tsp of turmeric; 1 tsp of garam masala and 2 tbsps of grated coconut.

Method: Clean, scrape the gourd and dice it. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, hing, turmeric and red chilli powder. Add soaked peas, ¼ cup of water and cover the kadai. When the peas are half cooked, add chopped sponge gourd, cook it till done. Add salt, garam masala and grated coconut.

Fried Sponge Gourd Slices

Ingredients: Half a kilo of sponge gourd; 1 tsp of red chilli powder; ½ tsp of turmeric; ½ tsp of garam masala; salt to taste and 2 tbsps of rice flour.
Method: Clean the gourd and slice it. Mix all the ingredients except the rice flour. Rub the spice mix on the sponge gourd slices. Coat each piece with rice flour. Shallow fry till golden brown.

Sponge Gourd Vada

Ingredients: Two sponge gourds; a cup of besan; 1½ tsp of red chilli powder; ¼ tsp of hing; ½ tsp of ajwain; a pinch of cooking soda and salt to taste.

Method: Cut the sponge gourd into slices. Mix rest of the ingredients in a vessel, add some water. The batter should be of pouring consistency. Dip the slices in the batter and deep fry them to a golden brown.

Stuffed Sponge Gourd

Ingredients: Half a kilo of sponge gourd; 3 onions; 1 to 2 cups of fresh coconut; 1 to 2 cups of chopped coriander; 1 tsp of cumin seeds; 1 tsp of red chilli powder; ½ tsp of turmeric; 1 tbsp of gram flour and salt to taste.

Method: Scrape the gourds, cut into 1½ inch long pieces. Slit each piece on one side. Rub salt and keep aside. In a vessel, mix rest of the ingredients. Add gram flour, mix well and stuff this mixture in gourd pieces. Heat ghee and oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and hing. Arrange the stuffed gourd pieces in the pan and let them cook. When the water is evaporated turn them upside down and cook till soft.