Muttai (Egg) Podimas is a very easy dish that you can make especially when you have a very limited pantry or running out of time. An egg scramble serves us in multiple ways as you can either have it as a side dish for rice or chappathis or use it as a stuffing in the flat breads to make rolls, that is not only easy to pack but also looks elegant to take in lunch boxes to schools, offices or picnics.

Being strictly brought up as a vegetarian who does not cook or eat eggs, this is one of the first dishes that I learned from my neighbor when I started learning to use eggs in my day to day cooking. Instead of making a scramble with just eggs, pairing it with a vegetable not only increases the volume of the dish to serve a lot of people but also you get to enjoy the goodness of a vegetable as well.

Podalangai Muttai Podimas Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 4
Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

Podalangai (Snakegourd) – 1 (200 gms approx.,)
Egg – 1
Onion, medium – 1
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Scrape the skin of the podalangai (snakegourd) lightly and wash well. Cut it open and remove the pith and seeds from the insides and discard it. Chop the podalangai and onion finely and keep aside.

Heat a pan with oil. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add urad dal and roast till it becomes golden brown.

Add onions, curry leaves and cook till it becomes translucent. Add the chopped podalangai, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and mix well. Sprinkle a handful of water all over the vegetable and close the pan with a lid.

Let it cook for 2-3 minutes over medium flame. Let the snake gourd get cooked till soft and the water become dry.

Now make a well in the center and break open the egg in the middle, add black pepper powder and with the flame on high, scramble or mix well with a balloon whisk.

Keep scrambling till the egg gets scrambled all over and cooked well. Check salt at this stage and add more if you want. Keep the fire high, and scramble continuously. The egg must get evenly mixed with the vegetable. This should take just 1 minute.

Take the pan off fire and garnish with coriander leaves if preferred. Serve hot with rice or roll it in Chappathis tightly and serve.

Notes:

Instead of using podalangai, you can use capsicum (bell peppers) which will also be perfect for this recipe.
If you are worried that the egg would not scramble well, break the egg in a bowl and beat it well along with the black pepper powder and then pour it all over the cooked vegetable for even scrambling.
You can add a few tbsp of milk while beating the egg, as it will keep the soft even after the dish gets cold.
No matter what veggie you use, make sure that you chop it finely so that it merges well with the egg and also it will give an overall good appearance to your dish.
I do not like adding tomatoes as it will make the podimas mushy but feel free to add it if you like.