Sunday, November 8, 2009

kakode stirfried with shallots | kakode pyaz ki subzi

kakode (teasle gourd) subzi

This is a vegetable which is unknown to many, it is called khekhsa in Banaras, kakode in Delhi, ghee karela in Jharkhand and kakrol in Madhya Pradesh and asTeasle gourd in English.

Teasle gourd is available in two varieties, one is a bigger sized and the other smaller which is considered tastier. I have heard about a tribal saying that eating this vegetable acts as a natural antivenom for snake bites, it sounds funny but tribal ethnomedicine has a time tested tradition, this fact needs to be investigated further and I ask my readers if they have any information about this...

One more interesting fact about this vegetable is, that it is not commonly cultivated and is collected from jungles mostly, that may be the reason for astronomical cost it demands whenever it is seen in the market here in Delhi....

You wont find many recipe of kakrol, khekhsa or kakode on the internet but this is such a mild flavored vegetable that can be cooked the way you like. We prefer a dry stir fry with it mostly but another curry with lightly sauteed kakode and a paste of poppy seeds is a delicacy in Bengal. In my family it was always made into a bhujia or pakoda.

I make this vegetable in the simplest way possible as I like the natural taste it has. The bigger variety demands frying till browned a bit but the smaller variety needs to be fried very briefly, just to get soft, as I like most of my stir fries.......

kakode (teasle gourd) subzi

I used shallots with it as they impart a nice flavor to the vegetable as you see in the picture, the kakode are even smaller than the shallots. Chop the shallots as well as kakode in halves or quarters and stir fry in very little ghee.....

First heat a tbsp of ghee in a pan and throw in 1 tsp of cumin seeds into it.
 
When the cumin splutters, throw in the chopped shallots and kakode together (200 gm each kakode and shallots) Fry for a while, about 2-3 minutes, the veggies become a bit translucent, now throw in salt to taste and lots of pepper. Mix well and it's ready within 5 minutes.

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of amchoor powder and let it sit for a minute before serving. It has to be made just before serving as it tastes best when it is just fried..........

kakode (teasle gourd) subzi

This stir fry of kakode or khekhsa tastes good with rotis or daal chawal as a mild flavored side dish.

You can add some more spices to suit your taste but take care not to overpower the mild flavour of the vegetable. It is better to make another spice dish on the side if you like spicy food, this stir fry will be enjoyed by those who appreciate milder subzis.


18 comments:

  1. Dear Sangeeta
    This reminds me of my childhood days in Orissa and my Cal days too. I dont like the big ones.
    You can stir fry thin circular slices with little oil, Panch phoron and eat with Dal
    cook like alu Patol dalna, with raw mustard oil, paste lot of green chili Jhal etc etc

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  2. Never tried this vegetable yet,must be really good...looks delicious

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  3. Never tried any dish with this veg...its new to me....

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  4. hi Sangeeta,
    This is called pagil in konkani, we make stir fries, sambar etc with this vegetable ...thanks for ur recipe seems easy n tasty.
    TC

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  5. DOn't remember eating it but def. remember this name...heard it many times at my mom's house as well as at in-laws....

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  6. This is the first time i'm hearing about this vegetable.. interesting!

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  7. Thankyou everybody for the suggestions and another name of the veggie...pagil....

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  8. Looks yummy and gr8 recipe..Never tasted this type of karela...But recently i saw the same kind of karela curry in my fellow blogger...:)

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  9. I have seen it before but never knew what do with it..:-) Thanks for sharing :-)

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  10. it is very expensive here in US. Get it rarely too!
    Good one...

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  11. Great info dear. I too search for those tribal medicines:) They are very valuables resources and less known to the metro world. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe.

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  12. I can add one more recipe of pagil or kakode.
    Mske slices of kakode apply salt & keep at aside for 10 mts. Pat this on a mixture of rice powder,salt,chillipowder, hing and deep fry them.

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  13. oooh...Thanks Meera !!

    i love it when you come and give more suggestions ....this recipe sounds great as we sometimes do it with bitter guards.

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  14. This is the vegetable introduced to me by my dad. Its very tasty and I love it. I usually buy them from tribals near mumbai..

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    1. You are getting the best possible quality of this vegetable mu friend. And naturally organic. The tribals pick Kakode from the Jungles and this fact was told to me by my dad :-)

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  15. some of our UPians call it kantola, it grows in teh wild generally around monsoon, ..... another way to cook it is to have plenty of garlic, onions, in teh mustard oil tadka, cook teh kantolas, (i generally half cook in microwave) and after it is cooked, slightly mash it, squeeze a bit of lemon juice mix well and serve hot.......

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