Recipe: Bharwan Tinda

Bharwan Tinda is an interesting twist to the "bharwan or stuffed" side-serves. Here Indian squash is stuffed with a combination of vegetables, spices and herbs- making the boring tinda, spicy and sensational. It is a must try for everyone, and you are going to fall in love with its taste and texture.

Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana

1. Scrape the apple gourd, remove the top and the bottom portion and slit into quarters without cutting through.

2. Heat a nonstick pan. dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and black peppercorns till fragrant. take the pan off the heat and allow to cool.

3. Dry roast gram flour in the same pan on medium heat for 4-5 minutes.

4. Grind the roasted spices coarsely.

5. Transfer roasted gram flour in a bowl. add 2½ tbsp ground mixture, salt, 1 tsp tata sampann chilli powder, sugar, coriander leaves and mix well.

6. Add 2 tbsp oil and mix well. squeeze lemon and mix well. add 2 tbsp water and mix well.

7. Stuff the apple gourd with this mixture and set aside.

8. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick pan. add cumin seeds and once they start to change the colour, add onions, chillies and sauté till onions turn golden brown.

9. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds. add tomatoes, salt and mix well. cover and cook till tomatoes are pulpy.

10. Add the remaining spices, turmeric powder, remaining tata sampann chilli powder and mix well.

11. Add ½ cup water and mix well. arrange the stuffed apple gourd and mix lightly. sprinkle ¼ cup water, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.

12. Add coriander leaves and mix lightly.

13. Transfer into a serving bowl and serve hot with chapati.