South Asian Cucurbitaceae @ Malaysia

With the massive influx of foreign workers from South Asia into Malaysia, it is increasingly convenience to find South Asian vegetables in locally.

First we have the Bangladeshis in plantation and construction sectors, then the Nepalis as security guards, now we even have Indian nationals

I first seen a patol and kakrol in 2013 at a pasar malam of Taman Universiti Indah.  Today sundry shops operated by Bangladeshis are everywhere.  Even the Mydin Hypermarket in Seremban2 selliing patol and kakrol.

Another security guard in Seremban2 have a vegetable garden behind the guard house where he stationed.

Momordica dioica is an common vegetable in South Asia.  The fruits are cooked with spices, or fried and sometimes eaten with meat or fish.

As diverse as the Southern Asian languages, M. dioica is known in many names.  It is called karkotaki (कर्कोटकी) or karkoti (कर्कोटी) in Sanskrit ; kakoda (ककोड़ा) in Hindi ; mezhuku-pakal ( மெழுகுபாகல் ) orpazhu-pakal ( பழுபாகல் )  in Tamil ; Kankada in Oriya ;  bhat-kerela (ভাত কেৰেলা) in Assamese ; Karot in Manipuri ;  kakrol or ghi korola in Bengali ; boda kakara in Telugu ; Kankoda in Gujarati ; Thumba or Thumba Karavila  (තුඹ කරවිල ) in Sinhalese ; Phagil/Phagala in Nepalese ;  etc.

Trichosanthes dioica is another fruit vegetable in commonly found in Southern Asia.  It is used as an ingredient for soup, stew, curry, sweet, or eaten fried and cooked with fish, roe or meat stuffing.

T. dioica too is called in different languages : parwal or parval in Nepali, Hindi, and Gujarati ; kambupudalai in Tamil ; potals in Telugu ; Kāttu Padavalam ( കാട്ടുപടവലം ) in Malayalam ; potol in Bengali and Assamese ; potala in Odia ; paror in Maithili ; parol in Magahi ; parora in Bhojpuri, Urdu, and Awadhi  Tondule ( तोंडूळे ) in Marathi ; etc.

Momordica dioica - Kakrol

Kakrol is most probably the fruit of Momordica dioica, a liana of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae.   Kankrol is also known as spiny gourd, teasle gourd.  

In South Asia, where kakrol is widely cultivated for consumption, it is known in many names : karela (Hindi), katwal (Gujarati), erimapasel (Malayalam), karkotaki (Sanskrit), palu-pakal (Tamil), advikakara (Telugu), bhat korola (Bengali),  etc.

A kakrol fruit is oblong, about 6cm in length and 3cm in diameter, turned yellow upon ripening, with surface covered in many small soft blunt pines. 

Kakrol fruits is bitter in taste.  They are usually peeled before cooking.  They are usually cook with curry, or hollowed, stuffed with spices and steamed, or made into pickle, etc.