Even though this is called a white curry, it is slightly yellowish in color from the small amount of turmeric in it. In Sri Lanka, it is made with ridge gourd, which looks like a ridged, long, slightly curving cucumber, pointy at the ends. It is sold in Indian, Southeast Asian, and Chinese markets. If you can find it, peel it with a peeler, concentrating mostly on the high ridges, and then cut it crosswise into 3/4-inch segments. It cooks in about 3 minutes. I have used zucchini instead because it is just as good and we can all get it easily. Serve with rice and perhaps Stir-Fried Chettinad Chicken.

Ingredients

　　4 medium-sized zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds total, trimmed, cut in half lengthways, and then cut crossways into 3/4-inch segments

　　1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　15 fresh curry leaves, lightly crushed in the palm, or 10 fresh basil leaves

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1 medium shallot, peeled and cut into fine slivers

　　1 1/4 cups coconut milk from a well-shaken can

　　Combine all the ingredients in a very large frying pan or sauté pan and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer. Turn heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes, stirring and spooning the sauce over the zucchini.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.