(Stir-fried Teasel gourd/ Kantola/Spiny gourd).

Incorporating different veggies into your diet is a great way to maintain good health. We always consume the regular veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes in our diet. However, some uncommon veggies should also make their way into our kitchens. Eating seasonal produce is very important too!

Spiny gourd/Kantoli/kartoli/karkoti/ban karel//kakrol is a rare vegetable with so many different names. This vegetable is available in India, mainly in the monsoon season. It has a slightly bitter taste. Tempering this vegetable with some simple Indian spices makes a lovely sabzi, which can be relished with Rotis. So next time you see this vegetable in the market, go ahead and bring it home. Make this lovely sabzi and eat it.

Ingredients

• 500 g spiny gourd (kantoli)

• 3 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

• 1/4 tsp asafoetida ( hing)

• 4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

• 1/2 tbsp red chili powder

• 3 tbsp dry grated coconut

• salt as per taste

• 1/2 tsp of sugar

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• Coriander leaves chopped

Method

• Wash and pat dry the kantolis. Slice them as shown below -

• Remove the thick seeds(if any) using a knife. Discard them. Retain the small, soft seeds. These small seeds give a distinct crunch to this sabzi.

• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds when the oil becomes hot. Once the mustard seeds splutter add asafoetida/hing, and garlic. Cook till garlic turns golden brown.

• Add the kantolis to the pan. Mix well.

• Sprinkle turmeric powder, red chili powder, sugar, and salt on top and mix well to coat the kantoli with spices.

• Cook on a medium to high flame till the kantolis are crisp around the edges(6-7 minutes).

• Add grated dried coconut. Mix well. Saute on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

• Squeeze some lemon juice to add some tang.

• Garnish with coriander leaves.

  KANTOLI SABZI IS READY TO SERVE !!

Notes -

• If you don’t like seeds, you can alternatively cut the kantolis into half, horizontally, and then scoop out all the seeds using a spoon.

• Relish this sabzi with simple chapati or have it with dal and rice/varan bhat.

• We need to use a little more oil for this sabzi to make it more crispy and palatable.

• The sugar added gets caramelized and gives this bhaji a beautiful flavor. You could use jaggery instead.

• You could use sesame oil for this recipe. This oil has a lovely nutty aroma that goes well with this vegetable.