O for Opo squash lachha :)

And that my dear, is another way of serving you the good ole' Ghiya :)). As i wondered on which dish to make starting with O, after my favorite, Olan got featured here and here ( and i am not complaining, i got my fill drooling at the yummy pictures) and after my trip to the grocery store to find good, fresh okra disaapointed me, the fancy sounding label for doodhi/lauki/ghiya came to my rescue. Opo squash is a lovely vegetable, as i have discovered recently.....it got me something to present for A-Z event at Nupur's hot stove :)). Jokes apart, while as a child i turned away from gourds and squashes, over the years i have grown to like them, love them. Sig's thoughts do echo my own :).

Opo squash makes a great addition to daals and raitas, and also can be the vegetable of choice when you are craving something yummy and quick. How, lets see :). Lets make the Opo squash and onion lachhas (lachha-grated stuff). This recipe is my take on the traditional Punjabi ghiya bhartha, prepared with grated and steamed ghiya, cooked with spices of your choice, with or without onions and tomatoes. I chose to prepare it with pearl onions and tomatoes. You can also prepared with grated onions.


We need:

• 1 Opo squash (grated)
• 9-10 pearl onion (peeled)
• 1 Roma tomato (chopped)
• 1/4 tsp. Ajwain (Carum seeds)
• Turmeric and red chilli powder to taste
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 green chillies (slit)
• 1 tsp. melted ghee
• 1 tbsp. Lime/lemon juice
  

Lets first grate the squash after washing it. We needn't peel the squash, the peel gets cooked quite well. If you do peel the squash, you may save it to make a yummy chutney. Microwave the grated squash on high for 5 minutes in a covered container. In a pan, lets heat ghee and add the carum seeds/ajwain. Now saute' the pearl onions (or 1 regular red onion, grated, not chopped). Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes till tomatoes are tender. Add the cooked squash lachhas, stir and add turmeric and red chilli powder. Add the salt and stir. Cook on high with frequent stirring till the water dries (squashes have lots of water). Add the slit green chillies and lime/lemon juice. Serve hot with dahi and chapatis, paranthas, daal-chawal or as a sandwich with your favorite bread. Its a simple and delicious quick fix recipe. You make the tadka as the squash goes through microwaving. The ajwain, ghee, mirchi and lemon give it simple, fragrant and subtly spicy feel. Don't use mirchi if you prefer it simpler. Usually this is served as a tangy and spicy side dish with either dahi or a simple daal.


You can also prepare just onion lachhas following the same recipe. That makes a super yummy sandwich stuffer. In my gradute school (IISc Bangalore) they used to have an onion toast in the tea-board (a canteen so named as a humorous take on another neighbouring canteen with affiliations to The Coffee Board and called just that, the coffee board!), which was quite delicious :).