Kantola Nu Shaak is very popular seasonal stir-fried veggie in Gujarati cuisine. Kantola Nu Shaak is made with sliced kantola, onion, garlic and spices. Kantola Nu Shaak is very easy to make with simple ingredients and very quick to prepare. Perfect side dish for any Indian meal, mostly served with phulka roti or dal chawal or Thepla.
Kantola or Kankoda or Kakrol is a small, oval-shaped vegetable very similar to karela/bitter gourd but less bitter compared to karela. Spiky on the outside and seedy on the inside, it is considered a delicacy in certain parts of India where it is available only during the monsoon season.
Kantola commonly known as spiny gourd or spine gourd and known as bristly balsam pear, prickly carolaho, teasle gourd. Kantola, is a species of flowering plant in the gourd family. It is used as a vegetable in all regions of India and some parts in South Asia. It has commercial importance and is exported and used locally. The fruits are cooked with spices or stir fried.
Teasle gourd or Kantola is available across most parts of India during monsoons. Some may know it is as kekrol, kakrol, Bhat Korola, Kartoli or some other name, but one cannot deny the health benefits of this vegetable. It belongs to the bitter gourd family but is not as bitter in taste even with the skin on.
Ingredients:
• 500grms Kantola/Teasle Gourd
• 1 Medium Sized Onion
• 3-4 Cloves of Garlic
• 1-2 tbsp Oil
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
• Pinch of Hing
• 1-2 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp Amchoor Powder
• Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar (Opt.)
Method:
1. Wash and clean Kantola and trim top pointy part, then slice each kantola length wise into 4 pieces. Chop onion into thin slices and keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in kadhai. Once heat enough, add cumin and mustard seeds. Once start crakling, add pinch of hing, then add garlic and stir it till golden.
3. Now add sliced onion and stir it for a mins, then add sliced kantola and mix it.
4. Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, stir it, cover it and cook for 10-15 mins on medium flame. Check in between and stir it.
5. Once cooked, add amchoor powder, sugar and stir it again for a minute and switch of the flame.
6. Kantola Nu Shaak is ready, serve with rotli, dal bhaat or Thepla.
Tips:
• You can skip amchoor powder if you want.
• If want to make it Jain by skipping onion and garlic, and just make it with spices.
- 500grms Kantola/Teasle Gourd
- 1 Medium Sized Onion
- 3-4 Cloves of Garlic
- 1-2 tbsp Oil
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
- Pinch of Hing
- 1-2 tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Amchoor Powder
- Salt
- 1 tsp Sugar (Opt.)
- Wash and clean Kantola and trim top pointy part, then slice each kantola length wise into 4 pieces. Chop onion into thin slices and keep aside.
- Heat the oil in kadhai. Once heat enough, add cumin and mustard seeds. Once start crakling, add pinch of hing, then add garlic and stir it till golden.
- Now add sliced onion and stir it for a mins, then add sliced kantola and mix it.
- Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, stir it, cover it and cook for 10-15 mins on medium flame. Check in between and stir it.
- Once cooked, add amchoor powder, sugar and stir it again for a minute and switch of the flame.
- Kantola Nu Shaak is ready, serve with rotli, dal bhaat or Thepla.
• If want to make it Jain by skipping onion and garlic, and just make it with spices.
