Calabash (bottle gourd) stir-fry

Calabash (bottle gourd) stir-fry

This is an easy dish to prepare. It tastes delicious. It is vegetarian and gluten free. This is a very mild curry. No curry powder or chilli powder is used. If you want you can leave out the green chilli in the recipe. With all the boiling and frying for considerable amount of time the green chilli would have lost its heat and its flavour would have been absorbed into the calabash.

                                  Recipe summary
                                             For
                         Calabash (bottle gourd) stir-fry
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 35 minutes

Serves: 3

1. Wash, peel and cut  250 grams lengthwise into quarters.

2. Remove the core  and chop into ½ inch cubes

3. Heat oil in a pan and add 1 chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes

4. Add ¼ tea spoon cumin seeds,  thinly sliced  30 grams leeks, diced 6 curry leaves, chopped 2 cloves garlic,  ¼ tea spoon ginger, and chopped 1 green chilli and fry for another 3 minutes.

5. Add calabash, ½ tea spoon salt, and 1 cup of water. Cook covered in medium heat for 15 minutes or until the calabash is cooked well and all the water is evaporated.

Calabash (bottle gourd) stir-fry

6. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and add  30 grams capsicum slices and continue frying in low heat for about 10 minutes or until the calabash becomes lightly brown in colour. 

7.Add 1 pinch of pepper, stir and remove from heat.

8. Serve hot.
      Calabash (bottle gourd) stir-fry is ready.                                                    

                          Recipe follows in detail with pictures.

Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 35 minutes
Serves: 3

Ingredients:

Main

250 grams Calabash (bottle gourd) chopped into ½ cubes

Calabash

Others
1 onion finely chopped (70 grams)
1 Green chilli de-seeded (30 grams) and finely chopped
30 grams capsicum thinly sliced
30 grams leeks sliced thin
2 cloves garlic
¼ tea spoon ginger 
6 curry leaves diced
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
1 cup water
Spices
¼ tea spoon cumin seeds
1 pinch pepper powder

Chili, garlic, onion,ginger and curry leaves finely chopped

Leeks chopped

Capsicum in different colours sliced

Preparation

1. Wash and peel the calabash. A potato peeler is quite sufficient to peel the skin.

Peel the calabash

2. Cut lengthwise into quarters.
3. Remove the core (soft white flesh with seed).

Quarter the calabash and remove the core

4. Chop into ½ inch cubes

Calabash roughly chopped

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes or until it becomes translucent.
2. Add cumin seeds, leeks, curry leaves, garlic, ginger, and chopped green chilli and fry for another 3 minutes.
3. Add chopped calabash, salt, and 1 cup of water. Cook covered in medium heat for 15 minutes or until the calabash is cooked well and all the water is evaporated.

Ingredients are being cooked in a ceramic coated non-stick wok

4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. If you add the oil before the water is fully evaporated it may splutter and hurt you. Add capsicum slices and continue frying in low heat for about 10 minutes or until the calabash becomes lightly brown in colour. Add pepper, stir and remove from heat.
5. Serve hot.
This dish can be served on its own or with rice, chapatti or bread.

Other calabash posts
Calabash (Bottle Gourd)
Calabash (Bottle gourd) salad
Calabash (Bottle gourd) mild curry
Calabash Soup - Bottle Gourd Soup