Wash and peel the skin of the bottle gourd. Cut into small cubes.
Heat oil in a pan and crackle the cumin seeds.
Add the chopped onions and saute for few minutes.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Next add the chopped tomato and saute till tomatoes become mushy.
Add the bottle gourd pieces, turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala.
Add 1 cup of water. Cover and cook till the bottle gourd is soft (about 7-10 minutes).
In the meantime, grind together the grated coconut and poppy seeds with little water to a fine paste. You can also add 4-5 cashews along with this for enhanced flavor.
Reduce the flame and add this ground paste to the simmering curry.