CHALKUMRO GHONTO / ASH GOURD WITH LENTIL FRITTERS

This dish was part of my 200th blogpost last year, where I compiled four heirloom recipes from the kitchen of Bengal. I thought let me share them individually with the wish to reach more of the beautiful people. I take a lot of pride in my roots and a lot of the bloggers are actually doing the job very beautifully. I humbly add mine, recipes that have come down to us for generations should be compiled. Honestly, when I started with the blog, I very much wished to keep it exclusively as a collection of family recipes, representing  Bengal's Kitchen. 

Somehow midway I could not keep my promise and the blog turned onto a 'Khichdi'; a hotchpotch one. It feels good to see some of my friends doing the same beautifully, I just provide fillers when they are not doing it.

I promote them or not, such heirloom recipes should be there in my blog. My daughter-in-law may not try them, yet they should be there. This particular dish is prepared with Ash Gourd / Winter Melon / Wax Gourd / Chalkumro and Lentil Fritters or Dal pakora. Actually, the dal pakora is a substitution for 'bori', that is dried lentil balls. With the on and off rain scenario here, I do not try preparing them at home. There is a way of doing it in microwave which I am yet to try. I teamed this non-spicy dish with dal pakora. You can also substitute the Ash Gourd / Winter Melon with Bottle Gourd or Raw Papaya or do each of them on different days. Come, let us prepare this healthy, vegetarian dish together.

INGREDIENTS : [for the dal pakora]

Masoor / Mushur Dal / Red Lentil : 1 small tea cup
Nigella Seeds[kalojeera] : 1/2tsp
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Sugar : 1/4tsp
Oil to fry.

INGREDIENTS : [main]

Wax Gourd / Ash Gourd / Winter Melon / Chalkumro : 1medium sized 
Green Chilli : 2-3
Cumin Seed : 1/4 tsp
Salt : As Required
Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chilli : 2
Bayleaf : 1
Sugar : 1/2 tsp [optional]
Oil : 3-4 tbsp

METHOD :

Peel, wash, cut and shred the ash gourd. Add salt n turmeric, mix well.

Let us do the dal vadas first. Soak the dal in water for an hour, grind to a paste discarding the water.

Add the kalojeera, salt, turmeric,sugar. Beat well for 2-3 minutes and shape into small balls. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the vadas / lentil fritters till golden brown.

Once done,  temper the remaining heated oil with cumin seeds, bayleaf and halved red chillies.

Add the shredded ash gourd, stir and cover. Keep the heat at low.

After 12-14 minutes, uncover and add the vadas and slitted green chillies. Stir and cover again.

Keep stirring every 3-4 minutes till the water dries up. Add the sugar, stir again, cook for 2 minutes more, it is done.

Dal vadas are used as a substitute for bori [dried lentil ball].