Stuffed Snake Gourd - day 1 of this week's blogging marathon

Kick-starting the 7 day marathon started by Srivalli of spiceyourlife.blogspot.vom with this new dish which can be a healthy appetizer or a side dish.
Once I’d bought the snake gourd, I was contemplating the usual poricha kootu or curry with it, but then an idea struck me and I went with it – this is what it turned out to be

Ingredients
2 snack gourds 12 inches long, pitted and slit ¾ of the way
For the Stuffing
½ Onions,
½ cup of peas,
½ of cubed carrots
½ cup of grated cheese
2 green chilies cut small

Spices – I used
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
A touch of
Cumin
Mustard seeds
Asafetida for tempering

Preparation
Sprinkle salt water and cook the snake gourd for 3-4 minutes in the microwave,
In the meantime, Prepare the curry like you would any dry sabzi by tempering the spices, add the onions, lightly frying before adding the other veggies.
Add salt to taste
Do not use the cheese at this time
Remove the gourd from the microwave and stuff the prepared curry using s small faced spoon, careful not to break the gourd beyond the slit
Top with cheese

Note: I tied the gourd so that they would not splay apart while in the oven

Set oven at 400
Put the gourds on a greased pan
Cook for 15 minutes

Untie the gourd before serving. Eaten best with Chappati


Mummified and ready to go!


cut and serve hot as a healthy Starter or with main course!

Starting my seven day blogging marathon with my 24 fellow bloggers
Bhagi Pavani Champa, Padma, Sowmya, Gayathri, Harini, Minu, Meena, Priya Suresh, Rujuta, Saraswati, Santosh, Savitha, PJ, Shobana, Smitha, Priya Vasu, Usha, Veena, Jayashree M, and Srivalli, who has started this wonderfully challenging event :)

Priya Mahadevan,