When my visiting mom got together with a neighbour this summer, a recipe exchange started fast and furious. New ideas kept popping up at mealtimes. I tweaked Mrs. Paul’s delicious Zucchini mash recipe just to reduce oil content.Try to find baby zucchini for the best effect, if you can’t find it try to pick the smallest zucchini, the more tender, the better. In India, its called tori.
SOS A masher is a great tool for this recipe. Look for it in the dollar store. You will definitely put it to good use in future recipes. Look for the plastic one, its lighter on your hands. My mom loved my kitchen tool so much, she bought a few to gift my aunts back home!
The main spice in this recipe is Garlic. Very few spices in this recipe as you want the delicate flavour of the zucchini to sing out. Ginger plays second fiddle..and only if you can get the real stuff. You`ll recognize ginger by the piles of broken roots in the produce aisle. That`s all the savvy shoppers testing the ginger root to ensure is not fibrous.
| Ingredients 4 baby zucchini or 2 cups chopped Spice Mix |
Preparation time 20 minutes Serves 4 Pots n pans |
Method
- Wash, and thinly slice zucchini.
- Steam zucchini in pressure cooker.
- Chop garlic finely. Lightly peel and then chop ginger finely.
- Heat oil in pan. Add cumin seeds and then ginger and garlic. Saute till ginger garlic is cooked. Add green chilies and turmeric. Toss once.
- Add zucchini, salt, mash coarsely. Let cook till all the water evaporates.SOS you`ll know mash is done when it lifts off the pan like a ball of well kneaded dough without sticking to the pan.
- Serve as a delicious dip with crackers or with bread.
Health benefits
Who knew garlic was this good for you? According to Indian Ayurveda, Garlic is one of the most effective antimicrobial herbs with anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine (470-358 B.C.), recommended its use for a variety of health conditions. Zucchini is incredibly low in calories. A healthy serving delivers less than 25 calories, an almost unheard of number in the general roster of calorie counts. Add to that its high water content, making zucchini a great way to get full without loading on calories.
Fun facts
There is a curious superstition in some parts of Europe, that if a morsel of the bulb is chewed by a man running a race it will prevent his competitors from getting ahead of him. I`m sure you too would steer clear too of raw garlic.
It has also been used as an aphrodisiac throughout the ages so if you are considering celibacy this might be out for you, otherwise go for it!
Hope you liked this post. Please do share your mash recipes so I can learn from you too!
charuyoga 