Ash gourd fritters in spicy coconut curry (Odi ghashi)

Ash gourd fritters are amazingly tasty, spicy, crispy and crunchy. They taste even better when they soak up in a delicious coconut curry and absorb all its flavour. These ash gourd fritters take a simple, flavourful, coconut curry made using spices to a whole new level by imparting their taste and flavour to it.

Enjoy this curry with a bowl of steaming hot rice and I bet that'll be the best meal you've had!

Who would have taught of adding spicy, crispy, crunchy ash gourd fritters into a delicious coconut curry, to make it, even more, lip smacking? Kudos to Konkani cuisine for such a mind blowing dish. It makes me fall in love with it every time I cook. :)

Ash gourd fritters are called as kuvale vadi/oodi in Konkani. They are deep fried and are added to a spicy, flavourful, coconut curry called as gashi (spelt as ghassi, ghashi, ghasi) in Konkani. These fritters only make the curry even more flavourful. This curry is called oodi gashi in Konkani. This amazing recipe has been passed on generation after generation.

Ingredients:

12-15 ash gourd fritters (kuvale oodi/vodi in Konkani)
3/4 cup grated coconut
Salt to taste
1 lemon sized tamarind
4-6 dried red chillies
8-10 fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon of urad dal (split black lentil)
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds
2 leaflets of curry leaves

Oil for deep frying

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Preparation Method:

1. Deep fry ash gourd fritters and keep them aside.

Preparing the masala:

2. Heat up a tempering pan, add in a tablespoon of oil, add in fenugreek seeds. When they start to sizzle, add in urad dal, coriander seeds, dried red chillies and fry them until the urad dal just starts to brown. Should take a minute. Remove them off heat and let them cool.

You'll get a nice aroma of fried coriander seeds and red chillies. Fenugreek seeds will start spluttering.

The taste of the curry totally depends on how you fry the above ingredients. You over fry urad dal, fenugreek seeds or coriander & the taste of the curry will differ. So, put off the flame when fenugreek starts to splutter or once urad dal just starts to brown. They'll fry further in the heat of the pan.

3. Once they cool completely, grind them along with tamarind, grated coconut and salt into a smooth paste, using 3/4 cup of water.

4. Transfer the ground masala into a cooking vessel. Add about 1 cup of water to bring it to a curry consistency. The gravy is usually between watery and thick consistency. Keep the curry a little watery to begin with. It'll thicken as it cooks, and later as it cools down, due to urad dal in it. We need a semi-thick consistency curry when you put off the flame.

5. Bring the curry to boil and then simmer until the rawness of the masala goes off. 

6. Then add in fried ash gourd fritters to the curry and remove it off heat.

The ash gourd fritters will soften and soak in the steaming hot curry. Do not stir the curry too much so as to not break the fritters.

7. Seasoning the curry: Take 1 tablespoon of oil in a tempering pan, add in mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add in curry leaves and let them sizzle. Add this seasoning to the curry and mix well.

8. Serve the curry hot with a bowl of rice.

For more Konkani cuisine curry recipes look here. 

Tags: curry, gravy, ghashi, gashi, lunch, dinner, spicy, ash gourd fritters, odi ghashi, Konkani recipe, Konkani dish, Konkani cuisine, Udupi cuisine, Mangalore food, Konkani food, oodi gashi, vodi gashi