Chalkumror bora

Ash gourd stuffed with a mustard-coconut filling, dipped in a batter and deep-fried.

  • Cooking time
    1 hour
  • Calories
    kcal
Recommended by
97.1
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In this family-favourite recipe of chalkumro (ash gourd), called so because it is grown on roofs ('chal' in Bangla). Small half-moon shaped sections are stuffed with a pungent mustard and coconut filling, then dipped in a batter and fried.

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Ingredients

Serves
16 pieces

FOR THE CHALKUMRO

  • 15 pcs (400g) chalkumro (ash gourd)
  • 5 g salt
  • 300 g water


FOR THE FILLING

  • 40 g mustard seeds (soaked for 2 hours)
  • 50 g grated coconut
  • 4 pcs green chillies
  • 4 g salt
  • 10 g sugar
  • 120 g water
  • 10 g mustard oil
  • ¼ tsp kaalo jeere


FOR THE BATTER

  • 70 g maida (plain flour)
  • 30 g sooji (semolina)
  • 2 g posto (poppy seeds)
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp red chilli powder
  • 3 g salt
  • 12 g sugar
  • 5 g mustard oil
  • 135 g water
  • oil for frying

Method

  1. Soak mustard seeds for at least two hours. Grind to a smooth paste with salt, green chillies and coconut.
  2. Peel the chalkumro, and cut along its cross-section in 2-cm slices. Now halve the discs into semicircles.
  3. Using a small paring knife make a slit on the round side of the semicircle, keeping the spine intact. It should open up like a book with the straight edge as the spine.
  4. Transfer the semicircles to a saucepan, and boil with salt and water for about 5 minutes, taking care to not overcook them. Remove from the water and set aside.
  5. Heat mustard oil in a kadai. Temper it with kaalo jeere (nigella seeds). After 30 seconds, add the mustard and coconut paste. Fry until it the colour and the paste becomes dry. Allow it to cool.
  6. Now stuff the prepped and steamed chalkumro with the filling, making sure the filling reaches the corners.
  7. Make a batter by mixing together maida, sooji, posto, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, sugar, mustard oil and water.
  8. Heat vegetable oil for deep-frying. Once the oil is hot (180º C), coat the stuffed chalkumro in batter and gently lower them into the hot oil. Fry on both sides until evenly brown. Serve hot.

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