Stuffed Sponge Gourd (Bharwa Ghia Tori)

Stuffed Sponge Gourd

Tender but firm to feel Bottle gourds are used to make savory in different part of India. It is known by many names in India, to name few Turai/Ghia Turai/Ghosali /Niyangnattakolu /Bhatkakrel/Abhi/Thupada heere. When it gets mature and seeds are formed, the dried sponge gourd is cut open to retrieved seeds and the remainder fibrous part is natural looffa.

Sponge gourd has various types of micro nutrients and vitamins. In fact its range of minerals and vitamins is very impressive.

Leafs, flowers, fruit all are used in cooking and then the magical plant gives us best luffa.

Today I am dealing with only fruit part of sponge gourd.

While somewhat thicker ones are used to make savory and pakodas (fritters), for this particular recipe we require very tender, soft but firm sponge gourd. The sweet taste of sponge gourd and slight tangy, salty and peppery mix of spices makes this juicy savory very tasty. So let us start.

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 2 Medium Helpings

Nutritional value of Stuffed Sponge Gourd (Approx. value 100 gm Sponge gourd)

Energy 56 Cal

Protein 0.65gm

Carbs 14gm

Total Fat 0.34gm

Ash 0.38gm

Dietary Fibers 3.0gm

Sugars 5.2gm

Water 85.5gm

Manganese 0.232mg

Potassium452.8mg

Copper 0.84mg

Magnesium 20.22mg

Iron 0.359mg

Phosphorous 30.89 mg

Zinc 0.169mg

Sodium 20.78mg

Calcium 8.99mg

It is rich source of Vitamin B­_1, B_2, B_3, B_5, B_6,B₉

Vitamin A, C, E, K

Ingredients required For Making Stuffed Sponge Gourd:

• 750 gm Tender Sponge Gourd
• 2 Teaspoon Coriander seed powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1/4Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi powder)
• 1 Teaspoon Dry raw mango Powder (Amchur powder)
• 1/4Teaspoon Red Kashmiri chili Powder (Kashmiri mirch powder)
• 1/4Teaspoon Black pepper powder (Kali mirch powder)
• 1Teaspoon (or to taste)
• 1-2 Teaspoon Clarified butter or any cooking oil
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 Whole Red Chili

Direction For Making Stuffed Sponge Gourd:

• Wash and towel dry sponge gourd.
• Peel and slit it lengthwise.
• Cut the slit gourd to 3-4 inches pieces. Keep aside.

Peeled and Slit Sponge Gourd

• Mix
• Salt
• Chili powder
• Amchur Powder
• Turmeric Powder
• Pepper Powder
• This is the stuffing for the gourd.
• Pry open the slit gourd pieces and spread generous amount in the slit to stuff them with spices mixture.

 Sponge Gourd Stuffed With Spices

• When all pieces of slit gourd are stuffed cover them and keep aside for an hour or so for marinating.
• After 50-60 minutes the dry stuffing will have absorbed water from gourd and become moist. The gourd pieces will also feel a bit wilted.

  Sponge Gourd with Stuffing after an hour

• Heat ghee/oil in a thick bottom non-stick pan and when the ghee is hot add cumin seeds and pieces of whole red chili.

Ghee Tempered with Cumin seeds and Red chili

• Once the seeds have spluttered and chili pieces change color immediately add stuffed gourd and cook on high heat gently turning the pieces till all sides become light brown in color.  Approximately 8-10 minutes of cooking will be required. This will seal the juices in the gourd pieces.

Stuffed Gourd in Tempered Ghee

Cooking on high heat

Just Before Covering and cooking on medium heat

• Bring the heat to medium and cover the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes with once or twice turning the pieces but gently.

2 minutes after covering on medium heat

• The spices stuffing and some juice of gourd will seem to come out, do not worry.
• Remove the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes more or till any liquid if present gets dried. 

Stuffed Sponge Gourd

• Your stuffed sponge gourd is ready to eat.

Stuffed Sponge Gourd

Enjoy delicious and healthy stuffed sponge gourd with chapati/parantha.

Tips:

• This tip is for any stuffed thing you bare making. If the stuffing is dry powder then after stuffing the vegetable allow it to stand for atleast 40-50 minutes. This will make stuffing absorb moisture from vegetable and while cooking it will not burn . Also it will aloow spices to seep deep inside the vegetasble.
• Get tender gourds for this recipe.
• Take care while slitting.
• Do not add too much chili or pepper powder or dry mango powder, because it will overcome the sweetness and gentle flavor of gourd.
• Adjust the chili powder according the hotness of chili powder.
• If you are not using non-stick pan then cooking oil/ghee amount will have to be increased.

Suggested Variation:  None.

Chana Dal-Lauki (Bottle Gourd and Split Horse gram Savory)

Chana Dal-Lauki

Lauki (bottle gourd) made with chana dal(Split Black chick pea or split Bengal gram) is w Lauki (bottle gourd) made with chana dal(Split Black chick pea or split Bengal gram) is whole some food and has great taste. It can be paired roti/parantha/steamed rice. I personally prefer to have it with hot roti/ phulka.

Children (sometimes elders too) make great fuss when served with savory of bottle gourd, try Lauki made with chana dal I am sure they will love it.  

Preparation Time: 10 minutes hole some food and has great taste. It can be paired roti/parantha/steamed rice. I personally prefer to have it with hot roti/ phulka.

Children (sometimes elders too) make great fuss when served with savory of bottle gourd, try Lauki made with chana dal I am sure they will love it.  

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Servings: 4 large helpings

Nutritional Value (Approx. Value of total cooked savory from below given ingredients)

Energy: 170cal.

Carbs:    35 gm

Fats:       1.6gm

Sugars:   2.6 gm

Protein:   8.0 gm

Sodium:  12 mg +from salt

Potassium: 160 mg

Dietary Fibers: 12gm

Vitamins _­­: Rich in Folates, B­6, B12, C, A

Calcium 85 mg

Extremely rich in micro nutrients like Manganese, magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Copper

Lauki has tremendous health benefits. It helps in digestion and helps those who suffer with constipation.

It is helpful in hypertension, keeps heart healthy.

It is rich in vitamin C thus helps in keeping skin supple and soft.

It is very refreshing and cooling.

Apart from all this the fibers and micro nutrients present in it make it a very healthy vegetable.

Helps in weight loss.

Chana dal is rich in protein, Iron and other micro nutrients.

Thus when the goodness of Lauki and chana dal will come together along with delectable taste then there is no excuse for not making it and eating.

So let us start.

Ingredients Required For Making Chana dal-Lauki:

• 500 gm Lauki
• 30 gm Chana dal
• 50-60 gm Red Tomato (2medium size)
• 1Teaspoon Grated Ginger (or ginger paste)
• 2 Twigs of Curry leafs
• 1Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2-3 cm piece of Cinnamon
• 1 Green Chili
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Ghee (clarified butter) / any cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• Fresh green coriander leafs for garnishing.

Direction For Making Chana dal-Lauki:

• Wash chana dal and soak it for 2-3 hours.
• Wash and peel Lauki. Cut it to 1-2 cm size pieces.

Chopped Lauki

• Wash and make paste of tomatoes.

Tomato Paste

• Drain water from soaked chana dal and keep aside.
• In a pressure cooker heat 1tea spoon ghee. When the ghee is hot add
• Cumin seeds
• Curry leafs
• Cinnamon piece. Let the seeds splutter. It will take roughly 30 sec.
• Add ginger and pieces of green chili. Cook for 20-30 sec on medium flame.
• The curry leafs will look crisp, chili and ginger will give nice cooked aroma.

Tempering Ready

• Add Lauki and cook for 1-2 minutes with continuous stirring keeping the heat on medium heat. Lauki will start losing its moisture and start wilting,

Lauki cooking in ghee and spices

• Add chana dal and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat with continuous stirring.

Chana dal being cooked with Lauki

• Continuous stirring very important for it will make sure that the spices, chana dal, Lauki do not stick to the bottom of cooker.
• Add Tomato paste and cook on medium heat with continuous stirring for 2-3 minutes. 

Tomato Paste added

• Tomato paste will change the color and the water content due to Lauki and tomatoes will become less.
• Add
• Salt
• Turmeric Powder
• Red Chili Powder
• Mix nicely.

Spices added before adding water

• Add 150 ml.water. Mix and put the lid of cooker with weight. Bring the heat to high. When the pressure is built in cooker bring the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minute, or till three whistle of cooker.
• Switch off the heat and allow the cooker to cool. When the cooker is cooled open it and with a ladle give a good twirl.
• If you feel water is less or you want the cooked chana dal-lauki little more liquidy then add water as per your liking , give nice boil to water added cooked chana dal-lauki.
• Take out in a serving bowl and Garnish with Chopped fresh green coriander leafs.

• Serve hot with Roti/Parantha/Steamed rice with curd or riata as side dish.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/roti-indian-bread-no-oil-dry-so-low-on.html

Chana Dal-Lauki

Enjoy tasty, healthy meal.

Tips:

• Always wash vegetables before chopping.
• Stirring continuously is very important to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the cooker.
• Make sure how hot the chili powder and green chili is before adding red chili powder.
• Add salt little less because lesser  salt in chana dal-lauki makes sure the subtle sweet taste of lauki is retained.

Suggested Variations:

• Garlic paste can be added along with ginger.
• Bay leafs can be added while tempering instead of curry leafs.

Vegetable Pulav (Rice cooked with vegetables)

 Vegetable Pulav

Vegetable pulav is a complete meal by itself because it has starch, carbs, protein, micro nutrients as well as much needed dietary fibers. Pulav served with curd/riata/chutney/salad /pickle elevates the whole experience of eating pulav to next level. In this post I have given recipe for making pulav without onion and garlic, though later on in suggested variation column  I have given the steps for adding onion and garlic to pulav.

Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30- 40 minutes
Servings: 4 Large servings

Nutritional Value (Approx. value for the total cooked amount)

Energy 1250cal

Carbs    294 carbs

Fat       80g 

Dietary fibers  40.5 gm 

Folates  216ug

Niacin  1.04mg niacin

Vit A   40 iu,

Sodium 150mg +rest from  salt 

 Potassium 1400 + from salt 

Calcium  1.0 g 

copper  982 mg,

magnisium  534mg,

Iron 12 mg  

Phosphorous 758mg,

Zinc   5.70mg

Sugars 10.5 g

Protein 25 g protein 

Ingredients Required For Making Vegetable Pulav:

• 150 gm Basmati Rice (Long grained rice)
• 100gm French Beans
• 100 gm Carrot (1 medium size)
• 50 gm Capsicum (1 lagre)
• 100 gm Potato (1 large)
• 75-100 gm Cauliflower florets
• 100 gm Shelled Peas
• 200-250 gm Paneer
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 4-5 Cloves (Lawang)
• 2 Black Cardamom ( Badi/kali elaichi)
• 2 Green Cardamom (Hari elaichi)
• 2-3 Bay leafs (Tej patta)
• 1 Pinch Nutmeg Powder
• 1 flower of Mace
• 2 Teaspoon grated ginger (or ginger paste)
• 1 Teaspoon of Red chili powder (or to taste)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder (Optional)
• Salt to taste
• 50 gm Of Clarified Butter (Ghee)

Directions for Making Pulav:

• Wash and pat dry all vehgetables.
• Peel and cut potato to big pieces or of size of your liking.
• Cut carrots, beans , cauliflower to long pieces.

 Few Vegetables For Pulav

• Remove the stem and seeds of capsicum and cut capsicum to big pieces.
• Wash the rice in running water and soak it in 200 ml  water.
• Pound cardamoms and mace and keep them aside
• Cut paneer to the size of your liking and sautee them on a thick bottom pan till both sides become pinkish brown. Keep aside
• Heat ghee in a pressure cooker on high flame.
• Once the ghee is hot enough but not smoking lower the heat and add
• Cumin seeds
• Cloves
• Bay leafs
• Pounded bleck and green cardamoms
• Mace
• Nutmeg poder
• Cook for say 30-40 sec. The seeds will splutter and wonderful aroma of cooked spices with come.
• Add ginger and cook for 10-15 sec.
• Add potatoes and cook on low heat for about 2 minutes with continuos stirring. Potatoes will change the color and textue.   The outer skin will look crispy.
• Add capsicum and cook for 1-2 minutes with continuous stirring. Do not allow the capsicum to attain dark coclor(burn).

Potatoes and Capsicum Being cooed with spices

• Add cauliflower and cook for 1-2 minutes with continuous stirring.

Cauliflower with shallow fried Potatoes and Capsicum

• Add beans and carrots. Cook for a minute or so with continuous stirring,

Beans and Carrots added 

• By now all vegetables will be seeped well in floavors of spices and cooked partiailly,
• Drain water from soaked rice keep the water aside for further use.  Add soaked, drained  rice to the vegetables in the cooker.

Soaked Rice being sauteed with veggies

• Add shelled peas and mix.
• Stir and mix nicely.
• Add
• Turmeric
• salt
• Red chili powder
• Mix.
• Add paneer and mix nicely.

Paneer added 

• Add water kept aside after draing the rice. Mix and check for water level if required add more water.

Water added as per requirement

• The measure of water is that the level of water should be 1/2 centimeter abouve the rice-vegetable mixture. (Use spoon handle forchecking water level). The water requirement may changes for different variety of rice. Regular cooking of steamed rice the measurement is one cm above the rice level, but in pulav rice is less and veggies are in large quantity (rice1 : veggies4) thus water requirement is less.
• Close the lid of pressure cooker with weight on it. Bring the heat to maximum till pressure starts building in cooker.
• Once the pressure is built in pressure cooker bring the heat to low and allow it to cook for 10 minutes (If the cooker gives whistle then cook till three whistles are given by cooker).
• Switch off the heat and allow it to cool. Open only when there is no pressure in the cooker. Sprinkle 10-20ml. of melted ghee and give a gentle twirl to pulav.

Vegetable Pulav

Serve hot pulav with raita/curd/pickle/chutney papad. and enjoy the meal of pulav.
https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/07/pahari-kheere-ka-raita-cucumber-and.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-coriander-and-mint-chutney.html http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/mango-pickle-north-indian-style.html

Tips:

• Make sure the spices added for tempering don't turn black(Burn) this will bring undesired change in the appearance as well as the taste of pulav. 
• Too much water will make pulav mushy and less water will cause undercooking of rice so add water properly as per the measurement.
• Adding ghee when the pulav is cooked gives amazing flavor to pulav.
• The ratio of vegetables to rice should be 4:1. But you can change as per taste. I prefer lots of veggies so that I get full nutrition and ofcourse delectable taste.
• If the peas are frozen peas then they should be added along with paneer so that they donot over cook and lose their color and texture.

Suggested Variation:

• Since the recipe does not ask for onion and garlic, but veg-pulav is also made by adding lots of onion and garlic.
• Take 2 medium size onion (!00gm) slllicethem thin and log,
• 8-10 cl.oves of garlic, peel and crush then in mortar and pestle.
• Afetr the spices are cooked add garlic and onion cook till translucent then add potato and follow the recipe then onward as above.
• Paneer can be replaced by soaked nutri-nuggets (Soya nuggets). Squeeze all water from soaked nutri-nuggets and fry them along with potatoes, then add veggies as per the recipe.

Vegetable Pulav with Nutri-nuggets