Tender ash gourd (chalkumra) is now easy to find in the markets. This familiar vegetable of the Bengali kitchen can be made into many tasty dishes. It is usually cooked in a thin broth, but for a different flavour you can make a delicious curry with prawns and coconut milk.

The mild taste of tender ash gourd, the flavour of prawns and a thick coconut-milk gravy make an outstanding dish. It goes well with hot rice at lunch and can also be a special attraction when serving guests. With a few ingredients and some simple steps, this tender ash gourd and prawn coconut curry is easy to make.

Peel the tender ash gourd and cut it into fairly thick round slices. Wash them well, rub with a little turmeric and salt, and fry lightly in oil in a wok until light reddish, then set aside. Rub cleaned large prawns with a little salt and turmeric and fry them lightly in the same oil, then set aside.

In the remaining oil, lightly fry onion, ginger and garlic paste. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt and a little water and cook the spices well.

Once the spices are cooked, pour in finely ground coconut paste or thick coconut milk. When the mixture starts to boil, add the fried ash gourd slices and cover. When the gourd is soft and cooked and the gravy coats it, scatter in the fried prawns and slit green chillies. Keep on a low flame for another 3 to 4 minutes, then take off the heat. Serve with hot rice.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.