Healthy Ash Gourd Soup With Pumpkin Seeds

Ash Gourd also known as Winter Melon , White Gourd , Tallow Gourd or Petha in Hindi. It is a large vegetable and is known for its nutritional and medicinal benefits. It is not as widely used for vegetables or curries in North India as in South India. As a child I have eaten it only in the form of a sweet called “Petha”. In south India it is also largely used in religious ceremonies, especially house-warming ceremonies where an evil face is drawn on it and it is hung from the balcony to ward off evil spirits.

The nutrition content of this humble vegetable is very high, with good quantities of Vitamin B & C, important minerals like iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. It is also high in fibre. I have heard that it also aids weight loss. While I am not a qualified nutritionist, I would say the ash gourd is filling due to its high water content, which makes it a low calorie nutritious vegetable.

As the evenings here are getting a little colder I tend to keep my dinners very light. It so happened that a friend of mine, who owns a farm, dropped a huge Ash Gourd at our doorstep. After quickly dispatching as much as possible to my neighbors and in-laws I kept a more manageable piece to make soup with.

Ash Gourd soup, Flavored with ginger powder , cinnamon, nutmeg and thyme, is filling and very healthy and requires negligible oil. I also added roasted Pumpkin seeds which again are nutritious and give soup a nutty flavor.

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Healthy Ash Gourd Soup With Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe for a healthy soup made with Ash Gourd also known as White Gourd, Winter Melon or Petha. Roasted Pumpkin seeds in the soup add crunch and a nutty flavor.

Course

soups stews

Cuisine

global vegetarian

Cook Time

30 minutes

Passive Time

20 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 500 grams Ash Gourd
• 1 Onion large Sliced
• 4 - 5 cloves Garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon Ginger Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Seeds Roasted
• 5 - 6 sprigs thyme Fresh
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 liter Water
• To Taste Salt

Course soups stews Cuisine global vegetarian Cook Time 30 minutes Passive Time 20 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 500 grams Ash Gourd 1 Onion large Sliced 4 - 5 cloves Garlic 1/4 teaspoon Ginger Powder 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg powder 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Seeds Roasted 5 - 6 sprigs thyme Fresh 2 teaspoons oil 1 liter Water To Taste Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees
2. Peal the Ash Gourd and remove the seeds
3. Cut it into thin slices and place it on a lined baking dish
4. Put sliced onions , garlic cloves and half of thyme on the ash gourd. Drizzle or spray oil on the vegetables.
5. Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, till its edges become brown

   
6. Let the vegetables rest till they cool down
7. Once vegetables are at room temperature puree them in a blender
8. Boil the pureed vegetables along with water , ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon powder, brown sugar , salt and the balance thyme.
9. After 2-3 boils switch off the gas. Serve hot .
10. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds before serving to retain the crunch.

Recipe Notes

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