Recipe: Mayur's Kantola Fry

The largest advantage that comes from adding seasonal produce to your meals is the new and beneficial nutrients they add to your daily fare.

Kantola or spiny gourd -- also called kakora, whose scientific name is Momordica dioica -- is a spiky green monsoon vegetable that might be unappealing at first sight.

It's a fibrous vegetable, containing a few valuable minerals and vitamins, including thiamin, niacin, ascorbic acid, carotene (according to a study by published by scientists D Singh, V Bahadur, D B Singh, G Ghosh on www.ishs.org) and there are multiple ways to turn it into a delicious sabzi.

In this recipe, I shallow fried the kantola in minimum oil and it became a lovely side dish.

Kantola Fry

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped kantola or spiny gourd (long pieces)
• ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp dhania or coriander powder
• ½ tsp jeera or cumin powder
• ½ tsp neebu or lemon juice or else use aamchur or dried mango powder
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste, about 1 tsp

Method

• In a large bowl, combine the chopped kantola with the haldi, red chilly power, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder.
  Mix until the pieces are well-coated with the masala.
  Cover and keep aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a kadhai or frying pan.
  Add the marinated kantola.
  Saute over low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
  Take off heat and sprinkle the aamchur powder or the lemon juice over it.
  Toss.
  Serve hot with dal-rice or khichdi.

Mayur's Note: It's better not to peel the kantola or discard the seeds as they add taste and probably nutritional value.

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