Pudalangai besan fry

Pudalangai / snake gourd stir fry is prepared with gram flour / besan as main ingredient. This fry goes well with white rice, sambar and rasam.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups – Snake gourd / Pudalangai (chop as shown in the picture)
• 1 cup – Gram flour / Besan / Kadalai maavu
• 1/2 to 1 tsp – Red chilli powder
• 2 pinches – Turmeric powder
• Salt as needed

Seasonings:

• 1 tbsp – Oil
• 1/4 tsp – Mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp – Split black gram
• 1 pinch – Asafoetida
• Few curry leaves (optional)

Preparation method:

1. Take a microwave safe bowl, add chopped snake gourd with enough water, cook in microwave until it is 1/4 done. Set aside.
2. Heat a pan, add gram flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and enough salt, fry until raw smell goes. Allow them to cool.
3. Take a bowl, add in roasted gram flour and 1/2 cup water, mix well together so that no lumps are found. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan, season with items given for seasoning. Add snake gourd and saute for few minutes. Reduce the flame to low or medium and then add gram flour mixture, because gram flour starts to thicken up immediately. Cook them until gram flour starts to brown and becomes crispy. Pudalangai besan curry is ready. Serve with white rice, sambar and rasam.

Notes:

• Snake gourd which I was using will take long time to cook. In order to reduce the cooking time, I used to cook it for 10 mins in microwave oven before I use it in the recipe.
• You can skip the first step and add snake gourd directly after seasoning is done.