Bottlegourd Fry with Peanut Powder

I have learnt this recipe from my mom. At home we always used to eat it along with sambar rice. When I started cooking, this was one recipe I asked my mom about. I got it perfect the first time I prepared it. Bottle gourd is something which is rarely prepared as a dish. It is most often used in sambar/chutneys. But this tastes great when combined with peanut powder and made into a dish. To find out by yourself, try this.

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd - 1(medium size, peeled and cut into pieces)
Oil - 2 teaspoons
Peanuts - 50 grams
Salt - As per taste
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tablespoon
Green Chillies - 2(cut vertically into two pieces)
Onions - 1(finely chopped)
Garlic Cloves - 1
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

Take a pan to heat and add oil to it. Add the peanut pieces and fry for 5 mins on medium flame. Remove them from oil and once they cool make a powder adding salt and garlic cloves to it. Keep this powder aside.
In the same pan add onions and green chillies and fry till onions turn light brown in color.

Add the cut bottle gourd pieces along with turmeric powder and mix. Cook for 15 mins till the pieces turn soft.

Once the bottle gourd pieces are cooked add the peanut powder along with red chilli powder and mix.

Cook for another 10 mins so that the bottle gourd pieces absorb the peanut powder and get a tasty flavor.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

Serving Options:

Serve this as a side dish along with steamed rice/sambar rice/rasam rice. It can also be used as a stuffing in dosa.