Snake Gourd is known as Padwal in Hindi.
Snake gourds range from small to very large in size and are elongated, slender, curved, or straight. There are two different categories of Snake gourds. One type is extremely long with hard skin and is grown for ornamental purposes, and the other type ranges in size and is grown for eating and medicinal purposes. Snake gourds that are used for consumption have waxy green skin and are often speckled or striped with a lighter shade of green. The fruit is typically consumed when young, with longer varieties averaging 40-45 centimeters in length and smaller varieties 15-20 centimeters in length. The gourd may grow straight or in twisted curls and spirals. When Snake gourds are young, the seeds are fairly non-existent, the pulp around the seed mass is firm, and the flavor is mild and similar to a cucumber. As it matures, the rind becomes hard, turns red, and the flavor becomes bitter and gelatinous with many seeds.
Snake gourds are available in the late summer through fall.
It is high in fibre and and low in calories and hence it is a good option for weight loss diet. It is high in water content and has a cooling effect on the body. It is very quick and simple to prepare and hence a regular dish in any South Indian household. This vegetable dish can be prepared in various way, the stir fry being the simplest version.
Let us know the ingredients used in the preparation of Chatpata Padwal / Snake Gourd Stir Fry.
INGREDIENTS :
(1) 250 gms of Snake Gourd / Padwal, sliced as shown (Deseeded if preferred, I did not deseed it)
(2) 2 small Onions / 1 cup, chopped
(3) 1 medium sized Tomato / 1 cup, chopped
(4) 1 inch sized ginger, finely chopped
(5) 8-10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
(6) 1/4 teaspoon of Turmeric Powder / Haldi
(7) 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri Lal Mirch powder / Red Chilli Powder
(8) 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder
(9) 3/4 teaspoon of Cumin Seeds / Jeera
(10) Salt as per requirement
Cuisine : Indian
Serves : 2 persons
Time : 25 minutes.
PREPARATION :
(1) Wash the Padwal well under tap water and pat it dry.
(2) Peel it as shown in the video by scraping with a spoon or a knife.
(3) You may deseed it or not depending on if the Padwal is mature or young. I did not deseed it as the Padwal was young and the resulting sabzi was not at all bitter.
(4) All the ingredients set aside for the preparation of Chatpata Padwal Sabzi.
METHOD :
(1) Turn on the flame, heat a kadhai / wok.
(2) Add oil and let it be warm.
(3) Add chopped Garlic.
(4) Add chopped Ginger.
(5) Add Cumin Seeds / Jeera.
(6) Fry all these three for a few seconds on a medium flame.
(7) Add chopped Onions and saute it for 2-3 minutes.
(8) Add chopped Tomatoes and Saute till they turn mushy.
(9) Add Turmeric Powder, Kashmiri Lal Mirch Powder and Garam Masala Powder and mix well. Cook it for half a minute on a low flame.
(10) Add Snake Gourd / Padwal. Mix it well.
(11) Sprinkle salt as per taste required. Mix well again.
(12) Cover the kadhai and cook it for 10-15 minutes on a low – medium flame.
(13) Keep stirring in between to avoid getting the sabzi stick to the bottom of the kadhai.
(14) Once the Snake Gourd / Padwal is cooked properly, turn off the gas flame.
(15) Our Chatpata Padwal Sabzi is ready to serve.
(16) Transfer it to a Serving plate and serve with Chapatis / Phulkas / Rotis.
