Snake gourd Sesame Seeds Kurma / Potlakaya Kurma / Potlakaya Nuvvula Gravy

Snake gourd Sesame Seeds Kurma / Potlakaya Kurma / Potlakaya Nuvvula Gravy

Snake gourd belongs to the cucumber family - bottle gourd, ridge gourd , bitter gourd are a few to name in that family. As the name suggests, it is as long as a snake and looks like a snake as well. However,
now-a-days, we get hybrid varieties of snake gourd which are not long enough.

Before marriage my mom hardly used to purchase this veggie as none of us used to like it. After marriage, I tried my hand at it when I heard of its amazing beneficial properties. Snake gourd also known as Potlakaya in Telugu is high in fibre and low on calories. But, consuming in larger quantities is not advisable. This veggie is also high in moisture content. Snake gourd can be used in salads, preparing pickles and of course curries. When it comes to curries, we can prepare it as kootu, fry, masala and gravy curries. Today's curry belongs to the third category i.e., masala and gravy curries.

I have twisted the korma recipe as per my family's requirements. Snake gourd kurma ( snake gourd korma ) is a creamy gravy which is prepared with nutritious sesame seeds and coconut paste. At this point, I should say that this snake gourd kurma is very rich in calcium as it also includes milk. I have made this curry spicy to suit my man's taste buds, but if you want to have it less spicy, please reduce the chilli powder or green chillies. This goes extremely well with chapathi, puri or any other Indian flat bread. I think this might as well go with any mildly spiced flavored rice or dosas, though I have not tried it personally.

Preparation

Dry roast sesame seeds on a low flame to a light brown color. Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning or over roasting. Keep aside to cool.

Make a paste of onion, green chillies, ginger, garlic, coconut and jeera seeds.

Grind to a fine paste and now add sesame seeds. Now grind once again for just a pulse. Do not run the mixie for long after adding the sesame seeds. Just pulse for 1-2 seconds and then repeat the same for 1-2 times until the sesame seeds are coarsely ground. Running the mixie for long would leave a bitter taste as the sesame seeds release the oil. Keep this aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions.

Sauté until they turn golden brown in color and add the ground sesame paste and turmeric powder.

Fry for 5-7 minutes until the raw smell of the onion paste disappears. Keep mixing in between as the paste might stick at the bottom of the pan. Now add finely chopped snake gourd pieces. Add salt and water and cook covered.

Stir occasionally to make sure that it doesn't get burnt at the bottom. Cook until the snake gourd pieces are soft. Meanwhile, puree the tomatoes in the mixer.

When the snake gourd pieces are cooked, add the tomato puree and mix well.

Cook for 4-5 minutes. Now slowly add milk little by little so that the milk doesn't curdle. Keep mixing.

Add tomato sauce and mix well.

Add chilli powder and garam masala powder.

Give it a nice stir and bring it to boil. Check for your desired consistency and remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.

Ingredients

Snake Gourd 1/2 kg (or) 3  in number ( medium sized ) finely chopped
Sesame seeds 1/2 cup
Oil 3 tbsp.
Onion 1 chopped
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Tomatoes 1 big
Milk 1 cup
Tomato Sauce 2 tsp
Garam Masala powder 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp

To Grind

Onion 1 small
Ginger 1"piece
Garlic 4-5 pods
Coconut 1"x 2" piece chopped finely
Green chillies 3
Cumin Seeds 1 tsp

Method

1. Dry roast sesame seeds until it turns to light brown color. Keep aside to cool.
2. Grind onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies, cumin seeds and coconut to a fine paste. Add roasted sesame seeds and give a pulse 2-3 times ( not for a long time in a single pulse ).  Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion and sauté until it becomes golden brown in color.
4. Add the ground sesame paste and turmeric powder. Mix well and fry until the raw smell of onion and ginger disappears.
5. Now add chopped snake gourd and salt. Add some water and mix well. Cook covered until the snake gourd pieces are tender and soft.
6. When the snake gourd pieces are completely cooked, add tomato puree and mix well. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
7. Add milk slowly little by little ( take care not to curdle the milk ).
8. Add tomato sauce and mix well. Add chilli powder and garam masala powder and give it a nice stir.
9. Bring it to boil. Check for salt and spice and bring it to your desired consistency.
10. Remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis or chapathis.

Notes

• Make sure you do not mixie the masala paste for a long time after you add sesame seeds as it might leave your curry bitter in taste. Grinding sesame seeds for a long time makes them release the oil and give a bitter taste.

• Take precaution while adding the milk to the curry. If you add hot milk at once, there is a possibility that the milk will curdle. Add cold milk little by little ( slowly ) to avoid curdling and spoiling the curry.