Bottle Gourd is a winter squash.  It has many different names such as, Calabash, Long Melon, and Opo Squash.  It is called Dudhi in Central India and Lauki in Northern India, which is where I am from.  It can be harvested young to be consumed as a vegetable, or harvested mature to be dried and used as a utensil.  I grew up eating Lauki.  Most of the time it was peeled and turned into a curry.  It tastes halfway between a squash and a pumpkin.  It is great for a low carb or Ketogenic diet because 100 grams of Lauki has only 2.5 grams of net carbs.

I use all parts of a vegetable because I don’t like waste.  The skin has so much fiber and nutrients, so I decided to come up with a dish that uses the skin.  This recipe is an Indian twist on my Italian Roasted Tromboncino Squash Medallions.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 small bottle gourds
• 2 Tbsp of my Indian Spice Mix
• Grape seed oil, enough to coat the medallions
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREP:

• Cut the bottle gourd into 1/4 inch medallions
• Place the medallions on a lined baking sheet for easy clean up
• Sprinkle the first side of the medallions with salt, pepper and my Indian Spice Mix
• Drizzle on grape seed oil to coat.  Gently rub in the spice mix and oil into each medallion.  Flip the medallions and repeat on the second side.

COOK:

• Preheat the oven to 400 F
• Place the sheet trays of medallions in the middle of the oven
• Let roast until you see the moisture in the medallions bubbling.  About 10 minutes.
• Remove the sheet trays from the oven and flip the medallions over.  Roast until tender.  About 5 minutes.  Then turn off the oven, and leave in the oven for another 5 minutes.  This will allow the side resting on the sheet tray to to get nicely caramelized without burning.
• Place medallions on a platter caramelized side up

Serve as an appetizer or a side dish.  You can top them with Pan Seared Scallops for a fancy and tasty presentation.  Here is a photo of my Pan Seared Scallops and Squash to give you an idea.

I usually buy Bottle Gourd at the Indian market.  I have occasionally seen it in my local grocery store, or in a Mexican market.  If you can’t find it, use zucchini instead.

This is an easy recipe that can be made quickly when you are short on time.  It also reheats very nicely.  I keep some in the frig and then pair it with a protein to make a meal in a hurry.  Its great for meal prepping.

Hope you enjoy this.  Let me know what you think in the comments section.