Spiny gourd (Momordica dioica), also called kantola, teasel gourd, kakrol or spine gourd, is the small, egg-shaped, densely spiny fruit of a tropical climbing vine and a close cousin of bitter melon, eaten as a vegetable while young and green. Its soft-prickled skin covers a pale, mild-bitter flesh that turns nutty and tender when fried or curried, and across South and Southeast Asia it is a monsoon-season delicacy — deep-fried into crisp fritters, tempered with mustard and coconut, or simmered into spiced curries.