What to do with Spiny gourds

Kadam came home the other day with more strange vegetables from the farm. These tiny green spiny round fruit looked quite spooky - but apparently Spiny Gourd or Kartoli ( Marathi) is one of the most nutritious and medicinal vegetables growing wild in the tribal areas of Maharashtra. It apparently also grows in other parts of India but I am not sure of where. This creeper which belongs to the Pumpkin family grows unfettered in the monsoon and its pretty yellow flowers yield this fibre rich power house of vitamins and protein. No wonder then, that this vegetable is gaining currency in our local markets and selling for as high a price as Rs.40/kg!

Like most people confronted with weird vegetables, we had our reservations about eating it  and  we only ventured to eat it since it came from our very own land. But of course we didn't quite know what to do with it. So as usual, my Walk and Talk recipe exchange came to the rescue with Abha's tips on what to do with it.

See, she told me, just slice into thin roundels and sprinkle with salt. Then in a kadhai, you take some oil and add zeera ( Cumin) and dhania  (Coriander) powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, saunf ( Dill) and fry well. Then add the chopped vegetables and give it a good stir. Lower the heat and cover for around 5 minutes. Then when the vegetable is soft, uncover, raise the heat and keep stirring till the vegetables become crisp and crunchy.

Of course, this sounds very vague but I reckon you can use a teaspoon of each of the ground powders for around 250 g of Kartoli.

Round off the vegetable with a pinch of sugar sprinkled on top so that the slightly bitter and sour taste is tempered.

Of course this vegetable will be hard to find now since the monsoon clouds have bid us farewell but then, you could keep this recipe in mind for the next rains when Spiny Gourds will be available once again in the market!