Ghiya/Bottleguard with Coconut Milk Curry

Ingredients

• 1 Bottle Gourd,
• 2 medium sized potatoes,
• 4 small or 1 big onion,
• 2 medium tomatoes,
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk,
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic each crushed,
• 1 tsp Garam Masala ,
• 2 tsp chili powder,
• salt to taste,
• 1 tsp mustard and cumin seeds each,
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida,
• 2 tsp turmeric powder.
• 1 tbsp oil.
• cilantro.

Method

1. Wash and peel the skins of bottle gourd and potatoes. Cut each into 1 inch cubes.
2. Blanch and purée tomatoes.
3. Chop onions finely.
4. This curry has to be cooked in a pressure cooker. So you may cook it directly in the pressure cooker body or in a different vessel which is stovetop safe as well as can fit inside pressure cooker.
5. Heat oil in the pressure cooker or in the vessel. Sizzle mustard and cumin. Add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Then sauté onions until they caramelize and light brown.
6. Add tomato purée, crushed ginger and garlic, and continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
7. Add chopped vegetables and stir well. Do not add water as the bottle gourd releases water while cooking. Add garam masala, chili powder, salt and mix.
8. Close the lid of the pressure cooker or if you have used vessel for sautéing, transfer the vessel into the pressure cooker. Pressure cook until the vegetables are just tender.
9. Remove lid once all the pressure is released. Lastly stir in coconut milk and use cilantro for garnish.