Have you exhausted your regular list of vegetables for dinner and are looking for exciting, new and yet comforting vegetarian alternatives? Turn your attention to small green apple gourds or Tinda which are full of nutrition. But worried if the Tinda does not turn out tasty? Well, these are spongy and fleshy in texture, mild-flavoured like cucumber, and beautifully inherit the flavours, aroma and essence of the curry in and with which they are cooked. In the case of Apple Gourd Sabzi, the curry of sauteed translucent onion and tomato puree cooked in essential spices like cumin seeds, red chilli, turmeric and coriander powder is delectably spicy. The last inclusion of thick yoghurt makes all the difference to the curry and turns the apple gourd sabzi into an unmissable veg bowl.
Apple gourds are a native squash vegetable that belongs to the cucurbit family. These are eaten in the unripe state and are mild-flavoured in taste much to the delight of Tinda haters. The most pleasing part however is its wonderful health benefits, so much so that it is hailed as a superfood.
Also called Indian baby pumpkin, these are great for weight loss due to their low calories, cholesterol and fat and 94% water content. In addition to this, they are beneficial for the digestive system. The list is long with rich Vitamin A content making apple gourds good for eye health. They also promote blood circulation in the heart and optimal functioning of cardiac muscles.
Here’s the recipe for Apple Gourd Sabzi.
Preparation time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Servings: 2-3
Apple Gourd Subzi
• ½ kg apple gourd
• ½ cup oil
• 1 small cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 2 green chilli
• ½ cup chopped green coriander
• 1 tsp kasoori methi
Method:
• Heat oil in a frying pan, add chopped onions and cumin seeds and saute until translucent.
• Add garlic paste and stir a little, and add turmeric powder, chilli powder, and mix everything well.
• To this add tomato puree, stir a little bit and cover and cook on low to medium flame until oil separates from the curry.
• Then remove the lid and cook tomato puree gravy on low flame for 5 more minutes until well roasted.
• Then add coriander powder to it and mix well with the puree and add the sliced apple gourds.
• Mix them well with the curry and saute for 2 minutes on low flame.
• Then, add yoghurt and mix nicely with everything, and cover and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid and cook again for 5 minutes until the curry reduces and thickens a bit, and apple gourds become softer and are no greener
• Then, add chopped coriander and sliced green chillies to it.
• Serve hot with rice or chapatis.
Points to remember:
• Make sure that apple gourds are introduced only after the tomato purée and onions are well seared and exude aroma.
• Cook the entire dish on low to medium flame to ensure that the tinda absorbs the spices and the curry flavours.
