Do you know, apart from the monotonous fry, curry or boiled Bottle Gourd, you can cook up a delicious traditional dish out of a Bottle Gourd by preparing it with a Dried/Smoked Fish or Fermented Fish and Dried Red Chilli?
INGREDIENTS
- Bottle Gourd (Umdawng).
- Dried Fish or Smoked Fish (Ngathu Trawl) or Fermented Fish (Ngathu).
- Dried Red Chilli (Hmarcha Trawl).
- Garlic (Purunvar).
- Dried Lomba Leaves (Lengmaser),
- Salt (Chi).
RECIPE
- Cut off the edges, then cut the Bottle Gourd horizontally.
- Peel the skin of Bottle Gourd with peeler.
- Remove the sponge texture inside.
- Cut them vertically into strips and then chop into squares or two inches.
- Wash and put it into a cooking pot.
- Add water to the level of the chopped Bottle Gourd.
- Soak and wash Dried Fish or Smoked Fish (remove scaled if needed) (if Fermented Fish, roast and pound it in a Mortar and Pastel), and add it.
- Add Salt.
- Peel Garlic, pound it in a Mortar and Pastel and add it.
- Halve the Dried Red Chilli with your fingers and add it.
- Cook with a lid over the cooking pot, stirring occasionally.
- With a scissor, cut off the flowers of the Dried Lomba Leaves.
- Soak it in a water for some minutes, and squeeze with hands for excess water. Wash it again twice, squeezing of excess water.
- Add it to the cooking pot, and stir.
- Continue cooking for another minute or two.
- When you think that there is an enough amount of gravy, switch off the gas stove.