I had actually never seen these little vegies before and when my hubby bought a bag home I really had no idea how to prepare them or even what they tasted like.
He vaguely said something how you can cook them with tomato and spices and they turn out yummy so thought for a first attempt I would try a basic masala with tomatos and peanuts and fry it all up.
Turned out good!
WHAT YOU NEED:
Masala paste:
Handful of peanuts and cashews
Couple of cloves
1 tbs of garlic/ginger paste
3 or more green chillies (adjust to taste)
1 large onion (cut up finely)
2 large tomatos (cut up finely)
1 tbs poppy seeds (roasted)
salt to taste
curry leaves
Aprox 500g of ivy gourd ( ends cut off and cut into four lengths)
Temper;
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder(adjust to taste)
1 tbs coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
WHAT YOU DO:
1. Heat some oil in a pan and add the onion and fry till translucent.
2. Next throw in the tomatos and green chillis and curry leaves.
3. Fry this for 5 mins and then add the green chillis followed by the ginger/garlic paste. Continue frying for 5 or so mins more untill the raw smell disappears.
4. Next add the roasted peanuts/cashews and roasted poppy seeds and fry for a min more then remove from heat and allow to cool before grinding.
5. Now add a bit more oil to the pan and add cumin seeds when they start to crackle add the ivy gourd pieces. Keep frying till ivy gourd softens. (you may need to add a little water to stop it from burning)
6. Now add the peanut masala mix followed by red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala and a little water. Put lid on and fry for a further 10 mins. Stirring and adding a little water if curry getting to thick.
Optional: Add cut coriander leaves
Serve with hot steaming rice.....
