Recipies

Pavakké cooked in milk by Shalini Nanda

• • 1/2 kilo tender pavakké, sliced into quarters
• • There is a mild hint of bitterness to the gourd (it is related to bitter gourd). If that doesn’t appeal, you may want to blanch it briefly before you proceed .This recipe works well with snake gourd, ridge gourd, zucchini, and of course, bottle gourd.
• • 1 cassia leaf
• • 1″ stick cinnamon/cassia
• • 10 or more black peppercorns
• • 2 – 3 cloves
• • 2 – 3  dry red chillis (I like bedgi chillis for this)
• • 1 tbsp ghee
• • 1 – 2 cups whole milk
• • Salt to taste

Heat the ghee in a pan and put in the cassia leaf, followed by the cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns and red chillis, in that order. Fry for a couple of minutes, allowing the chillis to colour the oil but not darken too much.

Add the pavakké, stir to mix , and cook for a couple of minutes. Add salt, cover and cook until half done. Thena add the milk and simmer very gently until done.

So delicious, make more than you think you’ll need! This also makes a wonderful winter soup.

* based on a recipe from Vegetarian Delights by Malini Bisen-Wilco Publishing House, ISBN 81-87288-14-0