Weight25 min
Bottle gourd soup as a light dinner
Bottle gourd simmers with cumin and black pepper into a thin soup for a light dinner. It sits beside food you still eat. It is not a reason to skip the meal.
About this bottle gourd soup
Choose a bottle gourd that smells fresh. Taste a raw bit before cooking, and throw the whole gourd away if it is bitter. Bitter bottle gourd is not safe to eat. Cook the rest until it is soft, with cumin and only a pinch of black pepper.
Serve a bowl with a small roti or a little rice if you are hungry. A light dinner means a simpler plate, not an empty one. The soup does not promise kilos lost.
Ingredients
- One small bottle gourd
- A pinch of cumin
- A pinch of black pepper
- Water to simmer the soup
How to prepare
- Peel the bottle gourd, taste a raw bit, and discard the whole gourd if it is bitter. Chop the rest and drop it into simmering water with cumin.
- Cook until soft, mash it lightly, and finish with a pinch of black pepper.
How to use
- Eat a bowl at dinner as the soft part of the meal.
- Add a small roti or a little rice if you are still hungry. Do not skip the meal.
- Salt lightly, and do not turn the soup into a heavy cream dish.
Helpful habits
- A younger bottle gourd cooks faster and tastes milder.
- Make only what you will eat the same evening. Leftovers should be cooled and refrigerated, then finished the next day.
Precautions
- Bitter bottle gourd must be discarded. Do not try to hide the taste with spices.
- This soup does not promise kilos lost, and it is not a meal skip.
- If bottle gourd upsets your stomach, stop and eat a plainer meal.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have only this soup and nothing else?
- No. It is a light part of dinner, not a reason to skip food altogether.
What if the bottle gourd tastes bitter?
- Throw it away. Bitter bottle gourd should not be cooked or eaten.
Will this dinner melt extra weight?
- No. It does not promise kilos lost. It is simply a soft, light bowl.
