Bengalis tend to not waste any food and will come up with innovative ways to make even the toughest food tender, delicious and appetizing. Here is a very simple recipe where we turn the peels of a bottlegourd into a tasty morsel.
Fried Bottle Gourd Peel
Ingredients
- 1 cup peels from bottlegourd
- 1/4 tsp nigella
- 1 tbsp mustard paste
- 1-2 dry red chilli peppers
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder/paste
- 1 tbsp mustard paste
- salt to taste
1 cup peels from bottlegourd1/4 tsp nigella1 tbsp mustard paste1-2 dry red chilli peppers1/2 tsp turmeric powder/paste1 tbsp mustard pastesalt to taste
Steps
- Add the peels, salt and 1/4 of the turmeric into a pot of boling water
- Boil for 10-15 minutes
- Drain and set aside
- Heat the oil over high heat in a pan
- Add the nigella and dr chilis and let splutter for a few minutes
- Add in the boiled peels and fry for 3-4 minutes
- Add the remaining turmeric and cook additional 10 minutes, stirring occassionally
- Add mustard paste and salt to taste
- Stir and cook until the peels are tender
I am a Bengali from India, the kind which is known as “Probasi”, meaning no longer resident in Bengal. I was born and raised in the center of the Hindi speaking northern zone, but from family background I am still familiar with Bengali culture and cuisine. In this particular section I cannot help but notice the absencce of the five best known vegetable preparations of the Bengali people – Mocha, Thor, Chochchori, Kochur loti and Alur dom. I have never actually been to Bangladesh, but have met many of her citizens. I got the impression that these traditional dishes are enjoyed as much in Bangladesh as in India. If so, you may consider putting up the recipes here, where all of us with a shared culture and tradition can enjoy it.