Mai Kan
A lightly spiced dry vegetable dish featuring tender ash gourd cooked with browned onions, dried red chillies, and turmeric.
Frying spices
7 gAdded to the pan with the gourd (step 2)Everything else
Method
- Warm 13.5 g vegetable oil in a kadhai or heavy, deep pan over moderate heat. Put in 2 chopped onions and cook for roughly 5 minutes until they turn a pale golden shade.
- Tumble in 500 g ash gourd, the frying spices, and salt to taste. Sauté over medium heat, turning the pieces carefully for 10 to 12 minutes until the gourd softens right through.
Don't have something?
Peanut oilUse 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
GheeUse 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oilUse 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.
PumpkinUse the same weight; peel and cube. It is sweeter and softer, so reduce the simmer by 2–3 minutes.
Bottle gourdUse the same weight; peel and cube. It cooks similarly but is milder and more watery, so simmer uncovered for 2 minutes longer.
Wax gourdUse the same weight; peel and cube. It is the closest texture, though it may need 2 minutes more cooking.
Dried kashmiri chilliUse equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.
Red chilli powderUse 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.
Ground gingerUse 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
SaffronSteep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.
Similar dishes
- Same: Rasakalan also uses ash gourd as its main ingredient, seasoned with ground turmeric, dried red chillies, and salt.
- Different: Rasakalan is a simmered liquid curry made with a base of plain yogurt, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, and rice, whereas this dish is a dry vegetable preparation fried in vegetable oil.
- Same: Kumbalanga Olan also features tender ash gourd cooked in vegetable oil with chillies and salt.
- Different: Instead of being dry-fried with turmeric, browned onions, and dried red chillies like this dish, Kumbalanga Olan is simmered into a stew with coconut milk, black-eyed peas, green chillies, and curry leaves.
- Same: Baant shares onion, dried red chilli, turmeric and salt with this dish.
- Different: Baant adds lamb, mustard oil, garlic, ginger and coriander seeds and simmers in a gravy, while this dish is a dry ash gourd fry with much less oil.
- Same: Bhajela Saranga shares onion, dried red chilli, turmeric, vegetable oil, and salt with this dish.
- Different: Bhajela Saranga uses fish, lime juice, garlic, ginger, desiccated coconut, and banana leaf, while this dish is a dry ash gourd sauté with no souring agent or coconut.