Ivy gourd roasted in oil with garlic and red chillies is another delicious side dish from the Konkani community in the Indian state of Karnataka. Crushing the gourds lets them cook and roast uniformly as well as absorb the flavor of the garlic infused oil. This side dish goes well with rice and lentil curries.
Serves 2-3
1 lb ivy gourd
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 dry red chilles, each broken into two. I use Karnataka Bydagi red chillies
10-12 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 Wash the ivy gourd in a colander under cold running water. Snip the two ends of the each gourd. Crush each of them using a mortar and pestle ensuring that they don’t break apart.
2 Add salt to gourd, mix well and set aside. Let it rest for about 30 minutes.
3 Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the crushed garlic and sauté them till they turn light brown.
4 Add the broken red chilles and sauté further for a minute.
5 Remove any water released by the ivy gourds and add the gourds to the pan. Saute for a couple of minutes and then reduce the heat to medium. Cover and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Stir the ivy gourd occasionally, every couple of minutes.
6 After 10 minutes, remove from heat and check to make sure the gourds are cooked throughout and roasted. Add more salt if needed.
Serve as a side dish with rice and lentil or vegetable curries.
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