Lentil and snake gourd vegetable

Lentil and snake gourd vegetable, Kerala style

This is what we had for lunch today with rice. Thanks to Valerie Bruce for prompting me to post entries of my cooking. I have been cooking all the while as I have a growing teenager son who is perpetually hungry, sometimes just twenty minutes after a full dinner or lunch. Poor thing, he even has stretch marks on his back and shoulder blades as he is growing faster than his skin.

This is a typical Kerala dish that can be served with steamed rice, pickle and raita( salad vegetables in yoghurt). The lentils and yoghurt provided the protein, the vegetable, the vitamins and fibre while rice provided the carbohydrates.

The above are the raw ingredients. Nice and colourful picture, but the lentil ( masoor dhal or red lentil as it's called in English but really looks pink) turns yellow when cooked. This dish is not too difficult to cook and cooks quickly too as masoor dhal is a quick cooking lentil especially when soaked. This is a good alternative too non- vegetarian protein. The tricky part of this recipe is to find all the ingredients in one's kitchen. If it's a Indian kitchen then most of these items would be staples.

Preparation time 

15 minutes

Cooking time

15 minutes

Ingredients

Snake gourd - medium sized , prepared and cut into small pieces

Massor dhal - 1 medium sized cup soaked in water for 2 hours and drained

Coconut - grated and fresh - 3 tbsp

Onion - one cut into small pieces

Garlic - 3 cloves cut into small pieces

Curry leaves - a sprig

water - 1.5 cups

For seasoning

Mustard - whole mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp( I use canola oil)

Course chilly powder - one tsp (adjust to taste)

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Once the ingredients have been prepared, heat oil in a wok. When the oil is hot , add the mustard seeds to the hot oil and have the mustard seeds spluttering. Add in the curry leaves , followed by the onions and the garlic. Once the onions turn golden brown, add in the course chilly powder and a few minutes later, the coconut. Sit for two minutes.

Next, add in the massor dhal as well as the snake gourd vegetable. Sit for a few minutes and then add in water and salt. Stir and cover the wok and let this cook in high heat for five minutes. Reduce the heat and continue cooking. Stir occasionally and let the dhal and vegetable cook till the water gets evaporated. Add additional water if needed, that is if the dhal needs more water to cook.

Serve hot with rice and raita.( will post a raita recipe soon - yoghurt with salad vegetables)

An interesting fact - curry leaves help to reduce cholesterol. Ever since I have learned this, I add in additional curry leaves into everything that I cook as it not only enhances the flavour but also helps to keep us healthy.