Dudhi Dhirde (bottle gourd Pancakes)

Last night's Jr. Menu:
Dudhi dhirde - Ketchup
Egg Omelet
Orange juice

It seemed like a very busy evening yesterday. I had 25 mins in between stepping in the home from work, and heading out again for my kickboxing class. 15 of those precious 30 minutes were gone in changing into gym attire, drinking my ginger spiced tea (it was fabulous, thanx DH), and tending to Mungi. I wanted to fix something quick for Mungi's Dinner in remaining 10 minutes. A dudhi (lauki, bottle gourd) lying in the fridge grabbed my attention. What can I make out of this in a hurry ?(that Mungi madam will eat), I thought..This is what I ended up making after running from pantry, to fridge, to cooking range..


P.S.: I should stop making such ambitious plans.. I agree.. Or, at least plan in advance..Ok, for my next class, I will. I promise. After I stepped out, DH paid attention to the highchair occupant. He later told me that she ate half of dhirde, but wasn't interested in more (typical of her). So, he made an omelet for her. (again, thanx DH)..Although, the most enjoyable part of the meal for her was her favorite drink: orange juice (or AU-Ju as she calls it)

Dudhi Dhirde

1/2 cup grated dudhi (substitute zucchini, yellow squash, or cucumber)
1 tablespoon cilantro chopped fine

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup whole rice flour (or regular rice flour)
1 tablespoon rava/soji (or cornmeal)
1 tablespoon wheat germ

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. hing (Asafoetida)

1 teasp. olive oil

Mix dudhi, and cilantro with all flours and spices. Add salt to taste. Mix well. Add water until the batter is of pancake batter consistency. Hit a cast iron griddle on medium heat, brush with olive oil. When the griddle is hot, spread a laddleful of batter on it. Cover the griddle with a lid (keep an opening to let air out, otherwise the pancake will be soggy.) Let cook for 1-2 minutes.
Take the cover off. Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over the pancake/Dhirde. Flip with the help of spatula. (pancake should come off easily. If not, add more rice flour to the batter.)
Let cook on the other side for couple minutes.

Serve with coconut chutney, tomato ketchup, or condiment of choice.
Mungi loves to eat this with plain yogurt.



Nutritional Boosts:

Dudhi/Lauki: high in Fiber
Cilantro: High in vitamin A and K
Whole grain flours: retain nutritious parts of grains
Wheat Germ: good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium and Copper, Thiamin, Phosphorus, Zinc, Manganese and Selenium.
Turmeric: good source of Vitamin C and Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.
Hing: digestive aid