Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney

Wait!! check this out before you throw the vegetable peels. A lip smacking chutney that can be served as accompaniment for Rice, Idli and Dosas. Before long, your family will be asking you for more!

I have seen both my mum and granny make this chutney. Though they made many variations for the Bottle Gourd peel chutney, my little brother and I loved this the most. You can also make red chutney with bottle gourd peel using Red chilles, Urad Dal and tamarind. My granny says when you throw away the peels of Vegetables and Fruits, you are actually throwing away half of their health benefits. [-X The peels of Vegetables and Fruits are packed with nutrients and surprising amount of flavor. Using them can make your meals healthier and more flavorful.

 There are many recipes you can try to make using the peels of Vegetables(Ridge gourd, Bottle gourd, Raw banana, cucumber, Pumpkin, Tomato, Squash )and fruits (Orange, Grapefruit, Watermelon rind, Lemon, Peaches). Last time I made Bottle Gourd Halwa, I had a whole cup of bottle gourd peels and the recipe for chutney was just a phone call away. You may find it strange cooking Green chillies with the peels but my mum says that the aroma of Green chillies blend with anything that it is cooked with. So the flavor is deeper and authentic. I prepared this chutney and served it with hot white rice and a sprinkle of coconut oil on it. Guess what happened the next day? Hubby bought another kilogram of Bottle gourd back home asking for the chutney again! /:) :>

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	86		Calories
Fat	7		%
Carbohydrates	4		%
Dietary Fiber	2		%
Sodium	2		%
Vitamin A	0		%
Vitamin C	16		%
Calcium	2		%
Iron	1		%
Protein	2		Grams
Sugar	0		Grams

Ingredients
Peel of Bottle Gourd	1 Large
Green chillies	3 or more
Oil	1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Water	1 cup
Peanuts	1/4 cup
Tamarind/Tamarind paste	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Corainder leaves	to garnish

To temper
Oil	1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Urad dal	1/2 teaspoon

* Wash the Bottle Gourd well before you peel the skin. Slit Green chillies and keep aside.
* In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds. Once they start to splutter, add slit green chillies and the peel. Fry for 5 minutes.
* Add water, cover the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Check once after 5 minutes and add more water if required.

* Check one of the strands if the peels are cooked and soft. If the strand falls apart, remove the mixture from heat and let it cool.
* Now, I have added raw peanuts for this chutney but you can dry roast peanuts if you wish. It tastes better for this chutney if it is not roasted since it overpowers all the other flavors.
* Grind the cooked mixture, Peanuts, Tamarind and salt to a coarse paste. Add water if necessary. Temper with oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Urad dal and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with hot rice, dosas or Idlis and enjoy!

* You can increase or decrease the quantity of water you add as per the consistency of chutney you need.
* I have not found curry leaves here in Oslo yet, but feel free to add it while tempering for better taste.
* The flavor of cooked cumin seeds with any vegetable peel is a match made in heaven. You can skip cumin seed while tempering if you are not a fan of cumin.

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Vegetable kurma

A great Indian coconut-based side dish and unbeatable match made in heaven for Rotis, Pooris and Parathas. The recipe for Kurma or korma varies from region to region and this recipe is the easiest of all.

My mum makes a similar korma every time she prepares Pooris. However, this modified version of her recipe looks so much prettier and the color is so pleasant. From our weekend shopping, the refrigerator was so full I had to pull out few veggies and plan for something "Mixed veggie". Well, I actually did not have many vegetables that can be added to kurma except Carrot, Bell pepper, Green beans and onions. I could not add Eggplant, Tomatoes, Ridge gourd, zucchini or mushrooms simply because that will not achieve my desired taste for this recipe.

You can add any veggies of your choice and also half a cup of green peas and cooked potato can make it more colorful. For a tinge of that restaurant style flavor, you can temper the Kurma with oil, cashew nuts, Red chillies and mustard seeds.

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	100		Calories
Fat	14		%
Carbohydrates	1		%
Dietary Fiber	4		%
Sodium	10		mg
Vitamin A	6		%
Vitamin C	8		%
Calcium	4		%
Iron	10		%
Protein	0		Grams
Sugar	0		Grams

Ingredients
Chopped Vegetables of your choice	2 cups
Cashew nuts	A handful
Fresh grated Coconut	1/2 cup
Milk	1/2 cup or more
Green chillies	4
Coriander leaves	1/2 cup
Onion chopped	1
Oil	1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Fennel seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon	a small stick
Bay leaf	1
Star Anise	1
Ginger Garlic paste	1 teaspoon
Water	1/2 cup or more
Salt	to taste

* Soak Cashew nuts in a milk for 20 minutes. Grind fresh grated Coconut, Cashew nuts, Green chillies and Coriander leaves. 

* Add water or milk to make it a smooth paste. keep it aside.

* Chop and cook all the veggies except onions. 

* Heat oil in a pot and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon, bay leaf and star anise. When mustard seeds starts to splutter, add chopped onion. Fry till the onion looks translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and give it a mix.

* Add cooked veggies and fry for a minute.

* Add the ground paste, water and salt. You can increase or decrease the quantity of water as per the thickness of the Kurma you want it to be.

* Bring it to boil and simmer it for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot.