A different spicy tangy zucchini curry

Yes, we have our annual glut of zucchini from our veggie garden, and we’re on the search for new ideas.

This is going to sound strange, but Apsara’s recipe for bitter gourd in spicy tangy gravy looked like it could be adapted to give our palates a different taste experience. And it was. It’s a deliciously tangy dish that makes zucchini taste like nothing else we are used to.

It’s really, really good served with a hot, large baked potato each, making an excellent and very easy Saturday lunch.

Spicy tangy zucchini: a delicous combination of zucchini, spices and tamarind

 

• Servings: 8
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: a bit fiddly, but easy
• Print

<h3>Ingredients</h3>

Ingredients:

Ingredients

• zucchini (see notes)
• tamarind (see notes)
• ¼ teaspooon of turmeric
• 1 tablespoon of split yellow lentils
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• 1 large red chilli
• 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
• curry leaves
• coconut oil

Directions

1. Dry roast the lentils, coriander, chilli and sesame seeds. Let them cool then grind them along with the cumin and coconut (we just use a mortar and pestle for this).
2. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract its juice by crushing with fingers.
3. Dice the zucchini and saute lightly, then add the curry leaves, salt, turmeric and some water. Simmer until the zucchini is tender.
4. Add tamarind extract and ground spices, and let it come to a boil. Simmer for until the sauce thickens (about another 10 or 15 minutes).

Notes

You’ll notice from the source that the original used bitter gourd (two of them). It also called for a golf ball sized piece of tamarind paste. We used an equivalent amount of dates mixed with a splash of lime juice to achieve something like the same sweet and sour taste. Another website suggests 1 tablespoon of lemon juice pureed with 1 tablespoon each of chopped dates, dried prune, dried apricot, mixed with just enough boiling water to cover.

Source: Adapted from Eating Well Diary’s Bittergourd in spicy, tangy gravy (Pavakkai gojju)

Spicy tangy zucchini

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