Kantola Sabzi | Spine Gourd Sabzi| Kakrol Sabzi

August 21, 2023

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Kantola Sabzi – a delicious sabzi made with the seasonal spine gourd/kantola.

Mother Nature provides certain vegetables/fruits during specific seasons to align with our nutritional needs. Kantola/ Spine Gourd/ Teasel gourd/ Kakrol /Phagil is one such seasonal vegetable. This vegetable is available only during monsoons. Some of the other lesser known monsoon veggies are Phodshi or Mulshi , Shevla (Dragon stalk yam) and Moras bhaji (sea purslane). Recipe for Phodshi bhaji is here and Phodshi pakoda recipe is here.

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About Kantola

Kantola is a small sized gourd ranging from 2 to 4 inches in length. It is green in colour and its outer surface is covered with tiny soft spines giving it a rough texture. It looks somewhat similar to bitter gourd and has a subtle bitter taste. When cut open, the flesh in white in colour with tiny seeds which are also edible. The tender kantolas have soft seeds and can be consumed, However, once the kantola matures or ripens, the seeds become hard and tough and they need to be removed before making the sabzi.

It can be used to create a variety of dishes. It can be used to make sabzis, pickle, fritters etc. In Karnataka, spine gourd is quite famous among the Konkani community. They make fritters using these gourds which is known as Phagila Podi.

About Kantola Sabzi

Kantola is commonly made into a sabzi. The sabzi can be made in different ways. It can be cooked all by itself with some onions and spices or can be paired with potatoes or vaal to make sabzi. Kantola has a subtle bitter taste but when combined with various spices, the bitterness is masked by other flavours.

In this recipe, I have cooked kantola with generous amount of onions and spices like chilli powder, cumin coriander powder, garam masala and amchoor. Kantola sabzi is pretty simple to make and turns out very tasty. It pairs well with chapatis or you can serve it with dal rice.

List of ingredients to make Kantola Sabzi

Kantola/ Spine gourd

Spices & Herbs: mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin coriander powder, garam masala , amchoor, garlic, coriander leaves.

Other ingredients: Onions, asafoetida, oil and salt.

Step-wise recipe with pictures

Wash the Kantolas well. Cut open the kantolas and chop them into thin slices. Tender Kantolas can be chopped alongwith the seeds. In case of ripe/ mature kantolas, the seeds are to be removed.

Keep chopped kantolas aside.

Chop onions into thin slices. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. Next, add crushed garlic. Saute on low heat till the garlic turns golden in colour.

Add chopped green chillies and chopped onions.

Add a pinch of salt and saute the onions till they turn golden brown in colour.

Now add chopped kantolas. Mix well. Add turmeric powder and mix.

Cook covered till the kantolas become soft, while stirring at regular intervals. Add red chilli powder, cumin-corainder powder, garam masala and amchoor. Mix well. Cook on low heat for few minutes. Check the seasoning. Add salt if needed.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve kantola sabzi with chapatis.

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