“Tava Fried Pagila Podi (Spine Gourd/ Teasel Gourd/ Kantola Fries)" … crispy fried veggie slices are always a delight to relish ... here is a simple but delicious monsoon delicacy from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine that tastes excellent served with dalitoy- rice (dal- chawal) ... Yummilicious ...
** Podi is the konkani name for Tava/ Deep fried Vegetables by spicing them and just rolling them to dust evenly on flour. You can prepare podi from vegetables like raw banana, sweet potato, potato, ripe nendrabale banana, pumpkin, brinjal, spine gourd etc. I have already posted many podi using different veggies before, I have also posted a deep fried one of spine gourd. Spine gourd or Pagila as called in Konkani is a monsoon vegetable and is available throughout the monsoon period. They are available in small, medium and large sizes as shown in the picture collage.
** Pagila is oval in shape and green in color having a rough thorny skin. You can scrape or retain the spike on the skin, however we always retain the same, trust me it is crunchier and tastier that way. I have included both types of spine gourds in the picture along with the fries for knowledge. This recipe is slightly different from the one I posted before, though the difference is very little, this time I have not used besan/gram flour and tava fried avoiding deep frying of the same. The recipe is very simple, so without going into much explanation let’s move on straight to the preparation.
** Here is my recipe for “Tava Fried Pagila Podi (Spine Gourd/ Teasel Gourd/ Kantola Fries)" ... my style, do try them when in season ....
** Ingredients :
Pagila/ Spine Gourd/ Teasel Gourd/ Kantola : 10-12 if small in size or 3-4 if large in size
Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder/ Mirchi Tikkat/ Mirsange Pitti : 2-3 tsp
Asafoetida/ Hing Powder : 1/2 tsp
Haldi/ Turmeric Powder : a pinch
Tamarind/ Chinchama/ Imly Paste : 1/2 tsp
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste
** For Dusting :
Rice/ Tandul/ Akki Powder : 3-4 tblsp
Fine Rava/ Chiroti Rava : 2 tblsp
Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder/ Mirchi Tikkat/ Mirsange Pitti : 1/2 tsp
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : a large pinch
** Oil/ Tel/ Tela : for tava frying
** Wash about pagila/ spine gourd scrubbing of the dirt particles well from the skin. Slice off the stem and the end side of the pagila and then cut them into medium thin sliced roundels or lengthwise slices (your choice, I have included both in the collage picture for reference). See to it that the slices are evenly cut.
** Rinse the cut pieces in a colander and let rest for 5 mins for the water to drain off completely. Now add them into a flat round bowl along with red chilly powder, hing powder, haldi powder, tamarind paste and salt to taste. Toss all the ingredients well until the spices are evenly coated to each of the slices.
** If you find the powder too dry and difficult to coat the slices evenly then sprinkle a little bit of water and mix well. However, see to it that you do not add more water or the powder mixture will become runny. Keep this covered aside for some time or you can keep it in the refrigerator to marinate if using after a few hours.
** For Dusting : In a bowl add rice flour, rava, chilly powder, salt and mix well taking care to see that they are evenly mixed without lumps. Now spread it on a plate on single layer and roll each piece separately in it taking care to see that it thinly coats on all side. Dust a few pieces or required number and keep it ready aside.
** For Tava frying : Heat a non stick/ iron tava (pan), when hot add a tablespoon of oil and spread it evenly on the tava. Place each dusted slice on the tava and fry on medium- low heat for 5-7 minutes covering with a dome lid. You can sprinkle some water (just a few drops) on top of slices and allow to cook covered for another few minutes if desired. Remove the lid, raise heat and cook until the bottom side is crisp.
** Now with the help of tongs gently flip over the pieces and cook the other side too WITHOUT covering the same this time. Sprinkle some oil and continue to fry unitl crispy on both sides and done. You can flip over and fry again if need be too, just see to it that both sides are crispy when done. Remove and keep them on an absorbent paper to remove excess oil if any while you continue frying the remaining pieces.
** For Deep frying : You can also deep fry pagila/ spine gourd slices which is the traditional way of preparing podi's in GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine. The marinating of pieces with spices remains the same as above. Just bring to plenty of oil/ tel to a smoking point in a thick bottomed kadai/ pan, lower the heat, wait for 2-3 minutes and add the rolled/ dusted pagila (spine gourd) pieces gently one by one into the oil and fry till evenly browned flipping over in between a few time. Do not over fry as they tend to become brittle and loose on taste. The prefect fries should always be soft from within and crispy outside. Remove and keep them on an absorbent paper to remove excess oil if any while you continue frying the remaining or desired number of pagila/ spine gourd pieces.
** “Tava Fried Pagila Podi (Spine Gourd/ Teasel Gourd/ Kantola Fries)" are done and ready to be served. Serve fresh~ hot immediately as a side dish during lunch/ dinner time along with other dishes. They taste awesome served with dalitoy (spiced dal)- sheetHa (rice) along with any other curries when served in thali as a full meal during functions. I served them with dalitoy-rice, potato bhaji and ridge gourd chutney for lunch. Do try this out and enjoy with your family and friends, they do taste fantastic.
** Note : As I mentioned above and also added a picture in collage for reference, you can cut the pagila/ spine gourd horizontally or vertically depending upon the size of the pagila and prepare them into podies too. Traditionally the smaller ones are always cut just into two vertically and deep fried for best results. However, the larger sized ones are best sliced and tava fried if you want to cut down on consumption of oil. Also the flat surface when cut into rounds allow even cooking. The result remains the same whether its cut lengthwise/ roundels, while only the shape remains different.
** There are many more “Pagila/ Kantola/ Spine Gourd/ Teasel Gourd/ Kantola” dishes added in Blog prepared in combination of different veggies, you may browse through the link given below for more chocies ….
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