An Indian meal is enhanced by the fries and fritters that are served as accompaniments to dal and rice. The sheer variety of vegetable fritter preparations in the country is remarkable. Fritters are made with every kind of vegetable in various kinds of batter. One such example is Ash Gourd Fryums, which is yet another delight from South India. Ash Gourd Fryums are primarily popular in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. It is  a simple fry preparation, which is made with a combination of grated ash gourd, urad dal or white lentil batter, and a spice paste. 

Ash gourd/ Pinterest.com

The batter consistency balances out the grated ash gourd . After deseeding the vegetable, the ash gourd is grated and mixed with urad dal batter and a spice paste to create a mixture from which small papads are made. The small papads are sun-dried and later shallow fried in oil. The fryums are crispy, savoury, spicy, and a slightly thick fritter. It is also not too oily.  The batter has to be of a little thick consistency to balance out the grated ash gourd. 

Different names 

Ash gourd fryums are known by different names in different languages. In Kannada it is known as Uddine Bele Sandige and in Telugu it is known as Gummadikaya Vadiyalu.  

Health benefits 

Ash Gourd is ideal for those looking to lose weight as it is very low in calories and carbohydrates and is rich in fibre. There are other health benefits too. Firstly, it is rich in Vitamin C, which is effective in fighting infections and it is also high in antioxidants that is said to prevent cell damage.  

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Here is a recipe for Ash Gourd Fryums: 

Ingredients 

1. Half an ash gourd 

2. 1 tablespoon urad dal or white lentils 

3. 4 green chilis

4. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 

5. A pinch of hing or asafoetida

6. Refined oil

7. Salt

8. Water

Method

1. Wash the ash gourd, deseed the vegetable, and grate it finely

2. In a bowl of one cup of water add the urad dal and wash and rinse well. After that, soak the rinsed urad dal in a bowl of water. After some time, drain the urad dal and make a paste, with a little bit of water, in a mixie

3. In a mixie, grind the green chilis, cumin seeds, a pinch of hing, and one teaspoon of salt, to make the paste

4. Whisk the urad dal batter for a few seconds 

5. Add the spice paste and grated ash gourd to the urad dal paste and mix well to make a thickish batter

6. Make small balls of the above batter, place on a cloth, and sun dry the papads for a day 

7. Once the papads are sun-dried and firm, fry them in one or two teaspoons of oil till fully browned, and serve hot

Ash Gourd Fryums are best savoured with a simple meal of rice and dal or sambar rice. One can also savour the fryums as a snack with a coconut chutney dip.