As always I have been missing in action :) But I am enjoying my days as my In-laws are here and days have gotten a bit busier than usual. As my daily schedule has changed a bit and we slowly getting used to it, school also got out for summer and with both kids at home hollering at each other and making as much sound as they possibly can, I surely can use a breather from both of them! Coming to the cooking, I am learning new recipes from my MIL and today's recipe is one of them. I am not sure how many people have eaten to tasted snake gourd in their life! It a very common vegetable in India, but here in US its not that common. Though Indian groceries carry them, they are sometimes not even worth to look at. I usually find them dry, shriveled and not at all worth buying. But whenever they do look fresh, I tend to buy them. I make a simple fry by chopping it into circles. There are couple more varieties of dishes we make out of it. But this recipe of my MIL is my favorite. Using coconut and yogurt along with snake gourd, it makes a very yummy and tasty combination. We call it Potlakaya perugu pachadi, but it can also be used as Snake gourd raita, since it is made of yogurt. It is best eaten with hot rice with a drop of ghee. But you can eat it with stuffed parathas where raita makes for a good side dish. Even with rotis and chapathis, it tastes delicious! The actual recipe calls for sour yogurt, but here it is substituted with a small piece of tamarind. If you don't want to use tamarind, go ahead and use a bit of lemon juice. Ingredients: 1 small potlakaya / Snake gourd, about 7-8 inches long, cut into pieces 1/4 cup fresh or frozen coconut 15-20 green chillies (use according to your taste, more or less) 2

read more: Potlakaya kobari perugu pachadi / Snake gourd yogurt chutney