3 recipes that use bottle gourd, with photos, step-by-step instructions and cook times. The quickest, Green morning juice, takes 15 minutes. It is most often cooked with coriander, curry leaves and dried red chillies.
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A refreshing green juice of cucumber, green apple, celery, spinach and bottle gourd (dudhi), lifted with parsley, basil and mint. It's light, clean-tasting and best drunk first thing in the morning, as soon as it's made. Taste a small piece of the bottle gourd first: if it tastes bitter, don't use it.
Soft, fluffy steamed idlis of rice and urad dal, served with a tangy, lightly sweet pigeon pea lentil sambhar full of vegetables: aubergine, drumsticks, bottle gourd and potato, tempered with mustard, fenugreek, curry leaves and kokum. Serve with coconut chutney. The batter is ground the day before and left overnight.
Handvo is a savoury cake from Gujarat, made from a fermented batter of rice and lentils mixed with grated bottle gourd, yogurt and spices. It's baked or cooked slowly in a heavy pan until it has a deep-brown, crackly crust of mustard seeds and sesame and a soft, moist, slightly tangy inside. Gujarati families make it for Sunday tea or a light supper, with green chutney and a cup of masala chai. Slices are also good packed for a journey. Chef's tip: don't rush the crust; cook on a low heat with a lid and let the base go deep golden before you flip, because the crunchy, almost toasted sesame crust is the best part.
