Ash Gourd: My Mother's Recipe Of a Dish And Its Nutritional Values.

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Ash gourd
Ash gourd, commonly called hairy melon, white pumpkin, winter melon, etc. It is the only species in the genus Benincasa. Ash gourd is a high moisture-containing crop. It belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae. It is a native of tropical Asia. In this article, I discuss the benefits of having an ash gourd in our home. I introduce here a traditional recipe of my mother using ash gourd (a nadan curry).
 
I have an ash gourd plant in my backyard. The ash gourd has been crept on the moringa tree (Moringa oleifera). The yellow flowers are that of ash gourd. When the fruits ripen, their skin becomes hard and ash in color. If we use tender fruit to make a dish, do not remove skin and seeds. All of them are nutritious.

Ash gourd plant on the moringa tree
To remember my mother's recipe, I plucked one immature (tender) ash gourd and prepared its curry. The skin of the tender (not ripe)  ash gourd is very soft, so do not peel it.
 
Tender fruit is green in color

Ingredients are:

 Ash gourd, onion, green chilly, turmeric, cumin seeds, garlic, grated coconut, curry leaves, salt to taste, and coconut oil for seasoning.
Chopped ash gourd with onion and green chilli

Method of preparation:
The first step is to wash the tender ash gourd and clean its hair. Chop it into tiny pieces. Chop onion and chili as well. Mix the chopped items with turmeric powder and salt (better use your hand to mix it well). Place it on the stove and cook it till the ash ground becomes soft. Now crush the garlic and cumin seeds with coconut and curry leaves. Add the mixture to the cooked ash gourd and mix it well by stirring it for one minute. Season it using coconut oil and mustard seeds. I like the taste of coconut oil, so I pour some oil into the mixture to get a fresh taste. Your traditional thoran of ash gourd is ready to serve.
Ready to serve

Uses:
  • Fruit for cooking as a vegetable
  • Ripe one for making candy
  • Preparation of Ayurvedic medicines
Significant features:
  • Low fat and protein (each less than 0.5%) (1)
  • Sodium content (100 mg/100 g fruit)
  • Beneficial for diabetic and obese people(2)
  • The ash gourd contains both macro and micro-nutrients.
  • It reduces diarrhea (5)
  • Reduce gastric volume and acidity(6).
  • Low carbohydrate content, ash gourd may lower diabetes.
  • Minimize kidney weight, blood urea, blood creatinine, urinary glucose, urinary potassium level, and body weight
  • To help against asthma (6).
  • Antioxidant properties of ash gourd may act against Alzheimer’s disease (6)
  • Ash gourd may be helpful in depression (8-9).
Nutrient values present in 100gm of ash gourd are: Calories: 13kcal, carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 0.4g, Fat: 0.2g, Calcium: 19mg, Sodium: 111mg, Magnesium: 10mg, Phosphorus: 19mg, Zinc: 0.6mg, Fiber: 2.9g, Iron: 11.8mg,
Vitamin B: 0.133mg, Vitamin B2: 0.11mg, Vitamin B3: 0.4mg, and Vitamin C: 13mg (2-4).
Side Effects:

Ash gourd is a natural substance without any recognized adverse effects. But before using it as a medicine, please consult your physician. Further studies are required to find whether there is any reaction to ongoing treatment or medication.
 
Disclaimer:  Consult your physician before consuming it as a remedy for the situation.
 
References:
1 Sciencedirect.com
2 Das A, Chakraborty S. KUSHMANDA (BENINCASA HISPIDA): AN AMAZING FOOD IN AYURVEDA.Available from: https://wjpr.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/article_issue/1606542858.pdf 
3 Pradhan K, Nandi A, Rout S, Tripathy B. Ash gourd-an under-exploited potential crop. Dogo Rangsang Research Journal. 2020;10(06):142-51. Available from: https://www.mendeley.com/reference-manager/reader/0cc17f7d-082a-37d2-998e-aaa329e3b0ed/138b9dce-979b-0035-481f-a3a79099dd61 
4 Gupta P, Chikkala S, Kundu P. Ash gourd and its applications in the food, pharmacological and biomedical industries. International Journal of Vegetable Science. 2021 Jan 2;27(1):44-53. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19315260.2019.1699222 
5 Rajeev Singh, Farm Easy, 2023
6 Pagare MS, Patil L, Kadam VJ. Benincasa hispida: A Natural medicine. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2011;4(12):1941-4. Available from: https://rjptonline.org/ShowPDF_Paper.aspx 
7 Palamthodi S, Lele SS. Nutraceutical applications of gourd family vegetables: Benincasa hispida, Lagenaria siceraria, and Momordica charantia. Biomedicine & Preventive Nutrition. 2014 Jan 1;4(1):15-21. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2210523913000160 
8 Al-Snafi AE. The Pharmacological Importance of Benincasa hispida. A review. Int Journal of Pharma Sciences and Research. 2013 Dec;4(12):165-70. Available from: http://www.ijpsr.info/docs/IJPSR13-04-12-007.pdf 
9 Dhingra D, Joshi P. Antidepressant-like activity of Benincasa hispida fruits in mice: Possible involvement of monoaminergic and GABAergic systems. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics. 2012 Mar;3(1):60-2. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3284041/pdf/JPP-3-60.pdf 
 
 

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