Kasha with Opo Squash and Carrots with Coconut, Curry Leaves and Chilies

Opo squash and carrots mingled with curry leaves and coconut and chilies is a favorite combination. Simply cook the veggies; grind some coconut, chilies and curry leaves; stir it into the cooked veggies and serve warm; adjust salt to taste.

Easy to make, this side can be served with roti, naan, rice or even quinoa.

Kasha can be an acquired taste for some. No one besides me likes it at home, so I don't make it often. I prefer to cook kasha in the rice cooker. To get it mushy, I add equal parts kasha and water; but for a grainier texture, I reduce the water and add some olive oil to the rice cooker and cook it for one cycle as usual.

Opo Squash, Tomatillo, White Bean, Mango Buttermilk Soup

This mildly spiced tangy soup is a summertime favorite. Tomatillos and raw green mango adds a gentle sourness that is enhanced by buttermilk. Opo squash brings a watery balance to the dish while the beans adds a bit of protein and texture.

We've had yo-yo-ing temperatures lately-- in the 80s one day and down to 50s the next. It seemed like a perfect meal for that warm day.

Ingredients
2 Tomatillos
1 medium green raw mango
1 cup cooked white beans
1 cup diced opo squash

spices to grind:
4 Tbsp grated coconut
1 teaspoon peppercorn
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tablespoon plain raw rice (acts as a thickener)

2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp coconut oil
salt to taste
½ tsp turmeric powder (optional)

Preparation

1. Grind the spices and keep handy
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the veggies and beans, some turmeric, salt, just enough water to cook the veggies; cover and simmer til veggies are cooked but not mushy
3. Add the ground spice paste, simmer for a few more minutes; stir in buttermilk, adjust salt to taste and turn off heat
4. Serve warm or cold

Opo Squash + Kale Koftas & Patties

Call it Bottle gourd, Calabash, or Opo Squash, this fairly bland but versatile vegetable lends itself well to cooking many interesting dishes.

Koftas is a favorite in my kitchen, served with some flavorful sauces. Typically koftas are balls, but, sometimes I make them into small flat patties.

In this recipe, grated opo squash and kale with some onions and garlic forms the core of the koftas and patties. A bit of rice flour and chickpea flour with seasoning is used to bind the vegetables so they can be shaped into balls and patties.

Rather than baking, I fried the kofta balls in a pancake puffs maker a.k.a Appa Karal as I was making just a small batch of koftas. The patties were cooked in a cast iron skillet of medium low heat till cooked through on the inside.

Ingredients
1 medium opo squash
½ cup finely chopped kale leaves
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
1 tsp finely minced garlic (optional)
1 tsp crushed red pepper
½ medium yellow onion, finely diced
salt to taste
¼ cup chickpea flour
1/3 cup rice flour

2 to 3 Tbsp oil for cooking patties and  kofta balls


Preparation

1. Peel the opo squash, remove the spongy core and seeds, and grate it. Squeeze to press out as much water as possible from the grated opo squash.
2. Combine the kofta ingredients to make a thick yet loose/pliable dough. Add a little flour at a time till desired consistency. Add more flour as needed, in case the grated opo squash has retained too much water even after being squeezed out
3. Shape the dough into even-sized balls that would fit in the Appa Karal or Pancake Puffs Maker
4. For Kofta Balls: Heat a small amount of oil in the Pancake Puffs Maker or Appa Karal, drop the shaped balls of dough and cook over medium heat till done on the inside and crisp on the outside; alternately deep fry if preferred
5. For Patties: Heat a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet, flatten the balls into patties and cook over medium heat, flipping as needed to brown both sides and cook the insides
6. Sauce: The sauce this time is a simple tomato-based one. But, either Jalapeno-Cilantro Sauce or Spicy Beet Sauce or Creamy Chard Sauce would be wonderful with these Opo squash & Kale koftas

Opo Sqash and Green Beans Warm Salad

Poduthuval, Poriyal, Thoran, Koottu are the generic names of some of the vegetable sides that typically accompany a  simple south Indian meal of rice and sambar or rasam. If the sambar or vetha kozhambu is spicy, then the vegetable side will be mild and complementary.

This combination of opo squash and green beans (plus carrots usually) is a favorite of mine, next only to the Chaenai Elavan Koottu. These days, as I don't serve a typical south Indian meal, the vegetable sides become either a warm salad or side for a weeknight meal. Opo Sqaush Carrot Mor-Kozhambu is more like a rich soup nowadays, served without the typical rice and spicy side.

I use frozen green beans and par cook it in the microwave to cut the cooking time. Then throw it in with the opo squash so they finish cooking together. Opo squash cooks up fast and is mostly water.

Tempering is quite an integral part of many south Indian dishes - either as a garnish or incorporated with the dish at the start. Heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add some split urad dal, when it turns golden brown add some mustard seeds and when they pop add the curry leaves. At this point, if using this as garnish, turn off heat and pour over the finished dish like sambar or rasam or vegetable salad like the recipe here, and stir well before serving.

Cooked Kadalai paruppu aka Chana dal is a favorite additive to vegetable sides to add some protein. Simply  cook it in the microwave or stovetop till soft but not mushy.

Ingredients
½ cup cooked chana dal
½ Opo Squash, peeled and diced
2 cups of par-cooked cut green beans or Italian green beans
2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
salt to taste

curry leaves and cilantro for garnish

Tempering: 1 Tbsp oil, ½ tsp urad dal, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 4 curry leaves, 1 long dry red chili broken into pieces

Start the tempering, when mustard seeds pop add the vegetables, cooked chana dal, and salt cover and cook till veggies are done. Stir in coconut flakes if using, garnish and serve warm or at room temperature.

Bok Choy, Edamame, Opo Squash, Chana Dal Salad

As with most recipes that just pop into existence in my kitchen, this Bok Choy, Edamame, Opo Squash, Chana Dal Salad also happened quite by accident where I open the fridge and stare at the few remaining things that need to be used up before my next trip to the market.

Will they go together? How should I cook them? Should I make it a side or the main course? What flavors will go well with this combination? I don't answer all these questions and plan a dish in great detail. Most simple meals at home just come together because I felt like it and threw things together for a quick meal. Work and kids don't leave me with the luxury of planning elaborate and exotic menus, but, I do manage to take a quick picture of some of the dishes I cook, so I can share it here.

The inspiration for this salad was the simple koottu my mom used to make with Kadala Paruppu, aka Chana Dal. My koottu recipes here have a slightly non-traditional edge.

I had some cooked chana dal in the fridge that needed to be used up. About half an opo squash leftover after using it for my favorite Opo-Squash Mor-Kozhambu, which I drink like a soup rather than have with rice as is done in India.

Some fresh green chilies from the garden, a few heads of baby bok choy after the Luffa, Snake Beans, Baby Bok Choy dish the other day, plus about half a bag of frozen edamame came together for this simple steamed vegetable salad.

Ingredients
Opo Squash, cut into chunks
Carrots, cut into chunks or rounds
Baby Bok Choy leaves separated and cleaned
Edamame par-cooked frozen (as it cooks faster)
1 cup cooked chana dal
2 or 3 fresh mild green chilies from the garden

Flavor with mild curry powder and salt, or simply use a favorite vinaigrette.

Preparation

1. Steam the vegetables (flavored with a pinch of salt) to desired doneness
2. Flavor as desired and serve warm or cold

Opo Squash, Zucchini, and Pumpkin in a light sauce

There is something about the combination of delicate almost watery Opo Squash with meaty semi-sweet pumpkin that I find irresistible. This probably stems from consuming a lot of Olan, a South Indian delicacy that is my mom's specialty.

We had harvested some zucchini and pumpkin from our home-garden and the combination of these reminded me of my mom's Olan very much, especially along with Opo Squash.

The kids don't enjoy it much - they'll take a bite to satisfy me and because we made it a rule to try the dish, grimaces and nose-wrinkling notwithstanding, every time I put something in front of them.

It is the simplicity of this dish that I find reflects the inherent qualities of the vegetables - no rich curry, no strong spices, just simple flavors. Of course, feel free to experiment and adjust/add flavors to taste, as always. Instead of pumpkin, can use any mildly sweet winter squash like butternut or acorn squash.

While similar to my Olan recipes, this recipe can me made into a thin soup with vegetables chopped up tinier, and using chicken stock instead of vegetable, if preferred. [Incidentally, looking back at my very old recipes, gosh! what terrible pictures! I must update them with better ones soon :)]

Ingredients
½ Opo Squash, peeled, cored, and diced
1 medium zucchini,  cored and diced
As much pumpkin  or winter squash as preferred, diced or cut into chunks
Additional vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, Chinese long green beans (optional)
vegetable stock, enough to cook the veggies
¼ to ½ cup plain low-fat milk (for a richer, slightly different flavor, can use light coconut-milk)
spices: freshly ground black pepper, turmeric
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or any other preferred oil)

Preparation

1. Heat the coconut oil in a pan, add the turmeric, then vegetables and stock, cover and simmer till vegetables are cooked but not mushy; I like the smell and flavor of coconut oil in this dish as I use milk instead of coconut-milk to finish
2. When water is all but absorbed and veggies are cooked, turn off heat,  stir in ground black pepper and milk, adjust flavors. The amount of milk depends on how runny we want the finished dish to be. For a soupy consistency, add more, naturally.
3. Garnish with cilantro and spring onions if preferred and serve warm with brown basmati rice, or plain cooked quinoa, or roti; or enjoy it as-is.

Opo Squash Mor-Kozhambu

Opo Squash (Pul Qua, Hu Lu Gua, Woo-Lo-Kua, Peh-Poh, Long Squash/Melon) is mostly bland and watery, so, it works well with a lot of Indian recipes which have interesting spices.

Mor-Kozhambu is a buttermilk/yogurt based dish, usually served with rice, and accompanied by some poduthuval or paruppusili. But, I like to eat a bowlful of cool mor-kozhambu as a summer soup sometimes :)


Ingredients
½ medium opo squash, peeled and diced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups plain yogurt
¼ tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
water as needed

cliantro for garnish

tempering: 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 3-4 curry leaves

for the spice paste:
½ cup dry (or fresh) grated coconut
2-3 jalapeños or green chilies
2 Tbsp grated ginger

Preparation

combine the spice paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste; keep handy

place the opo squash, onions, carrots, some salt, turmeric powder in a pan, add just enough water, cover and cook the vegetables

turn down the heat, add the spice paste, stir well, then fold in the yogurt and the buttermilk, and heat through gently till well combined; turn off heat - buttermilk will separate if cooked for too long; garnish with tempering and cilantro

tempering: heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add the mustard seeds and when they pop add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, turn off heat

Serve warm or at room temperature with rice.

This Opo Squash Mor-Kozhambu is my 'O' dish for lovely Nupur's A to Z of Indian Vegetables event.