Pan-Fried Bottle Gourd Slices with Yogurt & Aromatic Spices

Name: Pan-Fried Bottle Gourd Slices with Yogurt & Aromatic Spices (Ghia Yakhani)
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted (see Tips) and ground; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt; 1 cup plain yogurt; ¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream; ¾ teaspoon ground asafetida; 6 tablespoons canola oil; 6 whole cloves; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2½ pounds bottle gourd squash (see box); 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing

Ghia Yakhani

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

This Kashmiri delicacy is easy to make. The star of the show, the ingredient that makes it a yakhani, is the yogurt. The generous sauce packs tart flavors without looking curdled, thanks to the heavy cream. The juicy succulence of the tender squash is great over basmati rice.

Ingredients

2½ pounds bottle gourd squash (see box)
6 tablespoons canola oil

Asia
India
Kashmir
Main course
Vegetarian
Gluten-free
Spicy

Method

Cut off and discard the stem and heel ends of the squash. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and the surrounding spongy mass with a spoon or a melon baller, creating firm-fleshed, pale green squash “boats.” Cut the squash boats crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. (When you get to the hollowed-out part, the slices will