Snake gourd is mostly water, so the whole job is getting the water out before it turns to mush.
Prep — the part that matters
Scrape the ridges lightly. It does not need peeling like a bottle gourd
Split lengthwise. If the core is spongy and the seeds are large and pale, scoop them out — that is a mature gourd and the core is bitter and stringy. A young one can be cooked whole
Slice into ¼-inch half-moons
Toss with ½ tsp salt, leave 10 min, squeeze gently
That salt-and-squeeze is optional, and it is the difference between sabzi and soup.
Ingredients
1 snake gourd (~1 lb), prepped as above
1 tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, pinch of hing
8–10 curry leaves if you have them
1 onion, finely diced
1 green chilli slit, or ¼ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp coriander powder, salt
¼ cup grated coconut, fresh or frozen
Juice of ½ lemon, cilantro
Method
1. Tadka
Mustard seeds into hot oil and wait for them to pop properly before anything else goes in, or the dish tastes raw. Then cumin, hing and curry leaves, 20 seconds.
2. Base
Onion and chilli 3–4 min, then turmeric and coriander powder for 20 seconds.
3. Cook
Gourd in with a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp water. Covered, 8–10 min, stirred once.
4. Dry it out
Lid off for the last 3–4 minutes so the water cooks away and it fries a little rather than stewing. Coconut off the heat, then lemon and cilantro.
Notes
Baby portion: plain cooked gourd lifted out before the salt, chilli and lemon. Skip the whole mustard seeds for her
The zero-effort route: snake gourd substitutes one-for-one for the lauki in lauki chana dal — same texture family, same timing, no extra shopping
A mature gourd can be genuinely bitter even after coring. Taste a raw slice; if it bites back, salt and squeeze, and be generous with the coconut