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Bottle Gourd, Fuzzy Melon & Silk Squash ~ Pitta Pacifying Vegetables
for This Week’s Indian Kitchen
Bottle Gourd is also known as Sorakaya (Telugu), Anapakaya (Telugu), Dudhi (Hindi), Lauki (Hindi), calabash (Italian?), Opo squash.
Fuzzy Melon is sold as Foo Gwa and Mooqua at local Vietnamese grocery.
Silk Squash, other names are Neti Beerakaya (Telugu), Silk Melon and Chinese Okra (Chinese grocery shops).
– Indira
mmm…awaiting mouth watering recipes and photos of these favorite veggies of mine. I have not seen the silk squash here but I think I can use ordinary Peerkangai and try out!
Comment by Nirmala — January 20, 2008 @ 11:52 pm
Hey! Really liked the idea of you putting them all together. Lauki, of course I knew but the silk squash here tasted different from the one we had in India. Wonder if its because its bigger than what I have seen in India. I doubt if we use mooqua in India. I had used it to make a chinese dish with it in which mooqua is peeled, cut in half and steamed and then stir fried vegetables in oyester sauce added to it. It turned out quite good. Looking forward to your recipes with it.
Comment by Nidhi — January 21, 2008 @ 8:59 am
And Thank you indeed for adding me on your blogroll. It was a surprise and I feel honored!
Comment by Nidhi — January 21, 2008 @ 9:18 am
I often use these (I prefer fuzzy melon to bottle gourd), but had no idea they were pitta-pacifying. Interesting!
Comment by Diane — January 21, 2008 @ 9:45 am
I am also excited to find all these at local grocery shops. Silk squash and peerkangai are like twins in taste department, I think.
Thanks Nirmala.
Nidhi: I haven’t seen fuzzy melon at Andhra before, and I recently started cooking with it. Tastes almost like young and tender bottle gourd.
About the link, see how eager I am for UP recipes.:)
Diane: They all belong to the same family, so I placed them all under pitta pacifying group.
What do you prepare with fuzzy melon? This is a new vegetable for me, so far I made sambar and a chutney. Both tasted good.
Comment by Indira — January 21, 2008 @ 7:05 pm
I get bottle gourd and silk squash here — have yet to see fuzzy melon. They are all so lovely!
BTW I often see ridge gourd labeled ‘chinese okra’! 🙂
Comment by Linda — January 21, 2008 @ 9:47 pm
I use fuzzy melon in sambars. I also like it cooked up with paneer for a dry-ish curry. And for a Thai-style version (non-veg) I stir-fry it with garlic, chilis, shrimp and fish sauce. I prefer other vegetables generally ( I am a true pitta in that I like strong flavors and lots of spice), but it is nice when I want something simple, and soothing. Or when I want to slip more veg into my meals easily in a non-demanding way.
Comment by Diane — January 22, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
I never knew it was pittha pacifying. Thanks for the info.
Comment by Mythreyee — January 23, 2008 @ 8:21 am
Hey Indira, I am waiting what are you going to do with Neti beerakaya. I love pachadi made with it and also pappu.
Comment by Hima — January 24, 2008 @ 1:13 pm
Hi Indira,
I like your website. I love to cook green leafy vegetables. I love your site on this topic. I see variety of greens in your website. But, unfortunately I don’t know where to get them. Our Indian store here(Missouri, USA) only provides podina, methi and spinach. I get greens from farmer’s market, but I don’t what leaves they are. I just cook them with combination of your recipes. But I am not satisfied. Can you please tell me were to get these green leafy vegetables.Can you also provide American names for these greens. Thank You.
Comment by Prerna — February 6, 2008 @ 11:52 am