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What is the most versatile vegetable?
Bottle gourd
Sorakkai - Tamil/Sorekkayi -Kannada/Lauki - Hindi.
Bottle gourd dry/wet curry that can be eaten with rice and chappathi. The best part being, it doesn't shrink much post cooking except getting soft and edible. Most other vegetables in the gourd family shrink to almost a half after cooking that calls for more quantity to be chopped.
Bottle gourd chutney - both the flesh and the peel can be used. I made this the other day with a few shards of coconut, green chillies and garlic which became an instant hit with my family.
Dosa - When the dosa batter seems insufficient, peel and grate quater portion of bottle gourd, grind it with green chillies and salt and add it to the batter along with some rice flour for crispness. Pour dosas that come out crisp and brown on the top and soft on the inside.
Paratha - Peel and grate bottle gourd and cook it for a few minutes with spice powders and mix with the dough to make parathas.
Bottle gourd raitha - Peel and grate it. Add it to thick curds along with salt, green chillies, coriander and tempering ( optional)
Bottle gourd kheer - Peel and grate the vegetable and saute it in ghee till the raw smell leaves. Add milk, bring it to a boil, simmer and keep stirring. Once it thickness, add sugar/jaggery, stir for some more time and finally add some essence of your choice.
These are only few of the recipes Iam personally aware of. There can be many more creative ones that can be attempted or for more ideas, you can check online.
Bottle gourd is a nutritious vegetable that is low in calories and high in fiber with numerous vitamins and minerals.
It offers tremendous health benefits such as
An excellent hydrating food - Being a vegetable with approximately 92% water content, it helps replenish the body’s water levels and contributes to maintaining proper hydration. It is a refreshing choice food during the hot summers when the body is in need for more fluids to compensate for water loss in the form of sweat.
Aiding in digestion and maintaining liver health - The high fibre and water content present aids in better digestion. It's antioxidant properties and compounds present in it such as flavonoids help protect the liver cells from damage caused by oxidative stress and toxins. Again it's high water content helps to detoxify by flushing out toxins from the body and thereby reducing the burden on the liver.
Regulating blood pressure - Being a vegetable low in sodium - a mineral that is known to elevate blood pressure levels and rich in potassium - a mineral known to regulate blood pressure, it helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels. It promotes relaxation of the blood vessels, supporting healthy blood flow and reducing the risk of hypertension.