Snake Gourd (Pudalankai) Stir Fried with Salted Egg (Meatless Recipe)

Snake Gourd (or) Pudalankai (Tamil) is an excellent vegetable that can be used for an instant curry.

Health Benefits of Snakegourd (source : http://www.vegrecipes4u.com/health-benefits-of-snakegourd.html)
The health benefits of snake gourd are rather interesting. Snake gourd juice and leaves are often recommended by experts in natural and alternative medicine for treating some common ailments and problems. Snake gourd is mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts for its medicinal properties.

The snake gourd plant (trichosanthes anguina) is a tropical creeper and is usually grown over wooden lattice frames, and the gourds dangle down from a canopy of leaves. Snake gourd (also known as potlakaya, chichinda, padwal in Indian languages) is so-called because it looks like a snake, and can grow anywhere from a foot to six feet in length, sometimes curling in on itself if not stretched out with a stone (or other weight) tied to the end while it's growing. 

Belonging to the cucurbit or cucumber family (pumpkin, bottle gourd, ash gourd), snake gourd is widely grown in India, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Nigeria, as well as Australia.

These days a smaller variety of snakegourd is cultivated and widely available in India and in Indian grocery stores in the US. The pale green or dark green with light striped gourd, is bland, or has a slight sweetness, and is absorbent and cooks easily if tender and fresh.

Snakegourd is quite a popular vegetable in Indian cooking. It's rather bland taste makes it ideal for use with different spices. In North India, snakegourd is usually cooked in dals (lentil soups), while in South India, snakegourd is used in dry and gravy curries, soups, and raitas.

Snakegourd and Health Benefits
According to experts in natural remedies, snake gourd juice has been found effective in treating dandruff. The juice should be massaged into the scalp. This is an easy home remedy for dandruff.

Snakegourd leaves have been found useful in jaundice (hepatitis). An infusion prepared by boiling snake gourd leaves in water combined with an infusion prepared by boiling coriander seeds is given to treat jaundice.

Snake gourd-leaf juice has also been found to be useful in treating palpitations (irregular heartbeat).

Like other gourds such as bottlegourd and ridgegourd, snakegourd is very high in water content and has a cooling effect on the body, hence this summer vegetable that nature provides in such a timely manner helps in handling the summer heat.

Because of its high water content, snakegourd is low in calories, fat-free but filling, and great to include in weight-loss diets.

Snakegourd also contains a lot of fiber which can help keep your digestive tract healthy. The fiber is also helpful for those with diabetes.

Snakegourd is a good source of minerals like magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus.

For more info on snake gourd, have a look at the link here : http://www.vegrecipes4u.com/health-benefits-of-snakegourd.html
Recently, I chanced upon a snake gourd recipe from Wendy and this gives me an idea to cook it with egg. However, I stir fried it with salted egg and it is so yummylicious...  Thanks Wendy!

Ingredients :

- 1 snake gourd (skin brushed, cleaned, discard the centre seed and sliced)
- 2 eggs (mixed with salted egg)
- 1 salted egg 
- 1tsp of dried shrimps
- garlic
- salt and soy sauce to taste
- cooking oil


Method :

1) Heat oil in a wok and saute garlic and dried shrimps until aromatic.

2) Stir fry snake gourd until soft.

3) Then push the snake gourd to one side and add the egg mixture.

4) When the egg is half set, mix the snake gourd with the egg and stir.

5) Season with salt and soy sauce.

6) Serve warm.

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Stir-Fry Beans Sprout (Taugeh) with Chinese Sausage (Lap Cheong)

For those  who have been following my blog, I am sure you have come across my  recipe on beans sprout where I prepared Stir Fried Bean Sprouts(Taugeh) with Chinese Chives (Kuchai).  Well, here I am sharing with you  another simple taugeh dish with Chinese sausage.  Hope you like it.

Ingredients :

- 2 cups of beans sprout (washed)

- 1 Chinese sausage (washed, casing removed and cut)

- 1 piece of fishcake (washed and thinly sliced)

- 1 carrot (washed and shredded)

- 1 thumbsized of ginger and garlic (washed and smashed)

- Salt and soy sauce (to taste)

- 1 tbsp of cooking oil (not too much oil as the Chinese sausage itself has lots of fat)

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a wok.  Saute garlic and ginger till aromatic

2)  Add Chinese sausage, fishcake and carrot. Stir.

3)  Next, add taugeh and give a quick stir.

4) Season with salt and soy sauce.

5) Serve hot.

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Stir-Fry Zucchini with Fresh Button Mushrooms

Zucchini has a delicate flavor and can be partially boiled, steamed or made into juice.  Besides, Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded in a cold salad. To get maximum benefit, don't forget to eat with the skin– it's edible! 

Zucchini not only offers delightful taste and texture to many dishes, but is packed with beneficial nutrients including Vitamins C and A, potassium, folate and fiber. It is said to decrease  the risk of stroke, reducing high blood pressure and lowering cholesterol. One cup of zucchini has 36 calories and 10% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating.

 So, don't you think that you should  include Zucchini  in your diet?  Here's a simple stir-fry Zucchini dish and hope you like it. :)

However, before you start, do take note that in order to get rid of its bitterness, you should cut both ends off. Then, take the ends and rub them on the surface you cut them from with some salt. By rubbing both cut ends, it will get rid of the bitterness. Lastly, throw the ends and wash the white foam from the rubbings and you are ready to slice the Zucchini anyway you like.

Ingredients :

- 2 Zucchini (both ends cut and rubbed with salt.  Washed and sliced)

- 6 fresh button mushrooms (washed and cut)

- 2 tomatoes (washed and cut)

- 5 flavoured fish balls (washed and cut)

Seasoning :

- Garlic (peeled and minced)

- Salt and soy sauce (to taste)

- 1 tsp of Chinese cooking wine (Shao Hsing Wine)

-Cooking oil

Method :

1)  Heat some oil in a wok.  Saute garlic until fragrant.

2)  Add all ingredients into the wok and stir fry until cooked.

3)  Season with salt and soy sauce.  Lastly, drizzle the cooking wine and give it a quick stir.

4)  Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

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