Wax Gourd/Winter Melon

Ingredients

• 4 ½ cups fresh pineapple, chopped
• 4 cups cucumber
• 3 cups wax gourd
  winter melon
• (Kumbalanga) skin
  removed
  and cut into small
  1/2-inch pieces
• 4 small green chillies, cut length-wise (use less if you
  don’t want heat)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 & 3/4 cup coconut
  milk* – freshly
  extracted using grated
  coconut (see right)
  or canned coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 dry red chillies,
  each split into two
• 4-5 fresh curry leaves

Directions

1. Remove the skin of the wax gourd or kumbalanga and chop into pieces
2. Take a medium-size cooking pot and add the kumbalanga pieces in it along with the green chillies, salt, and water. Cover with a lid and cook on medium to low flame for about 5-6 minutes until the kumbalanga pieces are cooked and there is little water left. (You may want to check frequently to see if the kumbalanga pieces have turned soft since we do not want to over cook them as they will turn pulpy). Turn the heat off and set aside.
   
3. Extract the coconut milk (if you are using home-made) as shown below. Take about 1 and 3/4 cup of the milk and add to the pot with the cooked kumbalanga.
4. Again start the heat back on and cook on low heat for about 2 minutes or until you see a couple bubbles in the coconut milk mixture. Immediately turn heat off and set aside.
5. For the final tadka (oil tempering or garnish), take a small pan or skillet and heat the coconut oil in it. When hot, add the mustard seeds and once they start spluttering, turn heat to low and add the dry red chilly pieces and the curry leaves. Saute on low for about 1 minute more and turn heat off. Add this oil garnish over the cooked pumpkin and coconut milk mixture.
6. Enjoy with plain white rice and pickle on the side.

*For the coconut milk extraction:

1. Take 1 heaped cup of freshly grated coconut (or fresh frozen grated coconut that has been thawed and is at room temperature).
2. Blend this coconut with 1 cup of warm water and strain through a strainer. Again blend the strained extract using another 3/4 cup of warm water to get about 1 and 3/4 cup coconut milk.

Notes:

Make sure you do not  overcook the kumbalanga pieces and make sure there is not much water in the pot before you add the coconut milk so that you get the desired thick consistency of the curry.

There is another variation of this dish, which is mostly similar to this but also additionally uses yoghurt and is called kumbalanga pachadi

Ingredients

• 1 small tougan (wax gourd)
• 1 gobo stalk (burdock)
• Fresh or dried shiitake mushroom
• ½ inch piece of ginger
• 1 leek
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp miso
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 8 cups of water
• 5 umeboshi (pickled plum)

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Slice ginger into thin discs and add to water along with black pepper.
3. Thinly slice leeks (soak in a bowl of water to remove dirt) and add to pot.
4. Peel the gobo stalk, and then use the peeler to make thin strips of gobo and add right into the pot.
5. Peel, de-seed and chop tougan, then add to pot along with dried sliced shiitake mushrooms, miso, and soy sauce.
6. Remove and discard pits from umeboshi, chop and add to soup.
7. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until tougan is translucent. Turn off heat, add cilantro and serve.

Vata – swap the mushrooms for pumpkin and add some chili pepper
Kapha – only use dried shiitake mushrooms, add chili pepper