Gourd Kalia

Kalias are essentially the Bengali equivalent to kormas, differing only by the spicing used to flavor the nut-thickened sauce.  The following recipe, inspired by one presented by Pat Chapman in his 2007 India:  Food & Cooking, allows for a choice of gourd.  If you’d like a dish that is not too challenging to most western palates, use bottle gourd which has a mild, cucumber-like flavor.  If you’d like to try something a little different, make this dish with young luffa gourd.  This has a somewhat bitter flavor that is very much appreciated in eastern Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines. Note that the recipe calls for dry cinnamon leaf. This is commonly found in Indian groceries where it will be called 'bay leaf'. However you'll be quickly able to see the difference because it has three strong veins running down the center of the leaf, not just one as is the case for European bay leaf.

1½ pound lufa or bottle gourd
½ pound carrot, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
4 cloves garlic
1” piece of scraped fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
½ pound onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon white poppy seeds
2 oz toasted almonds
¼ teaspoon cumin seed
¼ teaspoon fennel seed
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seed
¼ teaspoon black mustard seed
¼ teaspoon charnuska seed
2” long piece of cinnamon bark
3-4 cassia (cinnamon) leaves, dry
½ teaspoon cayenne
4 tablespoons canola oil or ghee
1 cup coconut milk
2 fresh red chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon minced cilantro

If using lufa, cut in half lengthwise and then each into ½” slices.  If using bottle gourd, peel, remove seeds, and chop flesh into 1” cubes.  Parboil lufa/gourd and carrots in boiling water until just tender.  Drain.

Place garlic, ginger, onion, poppy seeds, and almonds in a blender.  Puree, adding in enough water to make a pourable paste. 

Heat oil/ghee in a heavy pan over a medium-high burner.  When the oil is hot add in the cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mustard seed, charnuska, cassia leaf, and cayenne.  Stir fry for 30 seconds.  Add in the garlic/ginger/onion paste and stir fry for another 5 minutes, adding in a little coconut milk as needed to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

When oil patches begin to form on the top of the cooking paste, add in the remaining coconut milk, red chilies, and tomato paste.  Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Add in the parboiled gourd and carrot pieces, garam masala, and cilantro.  Cook until heated through, remove from burner, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve. 

Archive

Copyright Statement