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This Cucurbitaceae family food, sometimes referred to as a gourd, grows on vines and is popular in India. Most people think of bottle gourd (lauki) or bitter gourd (karela) when we discuss vegetables with gourds. However, there are other varieties of gourds that may be found in India and are consumed regularly. They are well renowned for being extremely healthful and come in a variety of forms, sizes, and colours. These simple vegetables can be used to prepare almost any cuisine. Lets know the advantages of eating gourd vegetables, as well as how to cook them.
Since they include essential minerals and nutrients, the majority of veggies made from gourds are highly healthy. Because gourds have a high moisture content, more than 92 percent of their weight is considered edible. These gourd vegetables have a very low fat level and are generally healthy for the stomach due to their high dietary fibre content. In addition, vegetables from the gourd family are proven to promote weight loss.
Here are a few of the most common gourd vegetables that we consume regularly: bottle gourd, snake gourd, bitter gourd, sponge gourd, ridge gourd, pointed gourd, ash gourd, spine gourd, apple gourd, etc.
Bottle Gourd
The name of this gourd comes from its bottle-like form. This gourd has several health advantages and is particularly beneficial for digestive and cardiovascular health. Lauki is a very well-liked vegetable among health nuts since it makes a great post-workout beverage and is great for losing weight. This vegetable is prepared by boiling it and then puréeing it for vegetable soup. Alternately, you might pressure cook the veggie by sautéing it in an onion-and-tomato sauce.
Ridge Gourd
This gourd gained its reputation as one because of its ridges. The fact that this vegetable is utilised in many different cuisines and is very helpful for digestion and diabetes is one of the vegetable's surprise facts. A tomato and onion gravy is pressure cooked to create turai. Adding only tomatoes to a sauté will also result in a dry veggie.
Pointed Gourd
This green vegetable, which has white stripes all over it, is frequently cooked as a vegetable and eaten with chapati. This vegetable is a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals and is quite effective at lowering blood cholesterol levels. With some tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves added, it is primarily cooked without liquid. It has a very good flavour.
Ivy Gourd
In Southern India, this vegetable is prepared and is fairly well-liked. When eaten raw, this gourd is reputed to enhance metabolism and guard against diseases like diabetes. You might be shocked to learn that this veg can benefit the neurological and heart systems. With a few common spices and simply tomatoes, kundru can also be produced in a dry form. With chapati, it tastes great. This veggie is also useful for pickling.
Bitter Gourd
This tropical gourd is named Kerela since it is primarily grown there. Its name comes from the fact that it has a somewhat bitter flavour. This vegetable is well known for helping with diabetes and boosting the immune system. When it comes to gut health, Karela is also highly effective and thoroughly cleanses it. The dry form of karela is frequently prepared by sautéing it with a lot of onions and spices. This vegetable is peeled, salted all over, and set away to get rid of the bitterness.
Ash Gourd
The majority of people find this sweet-and-sour vegetable to be a pleasant veggie. The delectable sweet dish, also known as Petha and available in a variety of flavours, is also made with this vegetable. Petha's sweet-and-sour flavour comes from being largely sautéed with onions and kaccha aam. When cooking vegetables, some people add jaggery or gud while others add sugar to make them sweeter. In addition to enhancing flavour, jaggery makes a food healthier.
