Wash, peel, cut open the bottle gourd, remove the spongy seeds and cube the thick white flesh into bite size cubes. Take a pressure cooker, combine bottle gourd pieces, chopped onion, diced tomato, slit chilies, crushed ginger, garlic, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt and water. Pressure cook up to 2 whistles (this count is for slightly mature gourd) (tender ones cook in 1 whistle) and switch off. Stove top cooking takes about 30 to 40 minutes, kept covered over low medium flame. Now heat oil in pan, splutter mustard, cumin seeds, split black gram, dry red chili, curry leaves and sprinkle asafoetida. To this, add the cooked gourd curry, coconut paste and simmer for few minutes until the oil separates or until all water evaporates to make a thick chunky curry. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with plain rice and ghee. This is how we take it at home, but its also good as a side for sambar , rasam or curd rice.