Anyway, ridge gourd is very commonly seen in all supermarkets and wet markets in Singapore. I used to pass by without a second glance because I had never cooked with it before and had no clue where I can fit it in. I vaguely remember amma making a bajji (not the deep fried kind, we also refer to pachadi-like curries as bajji at home) with the vegetable but I wasn’t even sure if this was the same vegetable.
I would always resolve to go home and search for ridge gourd recipes online so that next time I can buy it. Of course the search never happened and I invariably forgot about it until I came to the supermarket next.
One day, I have no idea what came over me but I walked straight to the ridge gourd tray and picked up one. TH panicked. I could read his thoughts which went ‘now what experimental dish is she going to cook up with this weird looking thing?’ He asked me a few times if I knew how to cook it and I very confidently said ‘I will figure something out’. The challenge was not to cook something with it but to cook something that he would like.
I finally ended up trying this Ridge Gourd chutney with lots of coriander leaves and it came together really quickly and easily.
And yes, TH liked it too 🙂
Ridge gourd is known as beerakai in Telugu, peerkangai in Tamil, peechanga in Malayalam and torai/dodka in Hindi/Marathi.
Other chutney recipes you may like:
Peanut mint chutney
Coconut garlic chutney
Red capsicum chutney
Tomato mint chutney
Chow chow chutney
Ridge Gourd Chutney
Ingredients:
Ridge gourd, peeled and chopped – 2 cups
Fresh coriander leaves – 1/2 cup, chopped
Green chillies – 2, or to taste
Chana dal / bengal gram / kadala paruppu – 2 tsp
Urad dal / uzhunnu parippu / ulatham paruppu – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds / jeera / jeerakam – 1/4 tsp
Hing / asafoetida / kaayam / perungayam – a generous pinch (optional)
Sesame seeds / til – 1 tbsp (I used white sesame seeds, do not avoid this ingredients as its vital for the flavour)
Tamarind paste – 1 tsp (or use 1 tbsp lemon juice)
Salt – to taste
How to Make Beerakaya Pachadi:
1. Peel and chop the ridge gourd into chunks. Cook this with 1/2 cup water until soft and mushy. Set aside to cool.
2. Dry roast the chana and urad dal in a pan. When they are about to turn golden brown, add the sesame seeds and keep roasting until all are nicely browned and smell good. Throw in the jeera and the hing when the pan is still hot and set aside to cool.
3. Once the ridge gourd and the roast
Tastes good with dosa and steamed rice. Actually not just good, but really really good! The sesame seeds are the winners in this recipe so do not avoid those. Oh I said that already? Ok then!
nice chutney… I guess I should go beyond onion, tomato, potato, beans and try something new 🙂
I love ridge gourd chutney … we make it sans sesame seeds .. shall try that next time
same here, i never pick up the ridgegourds. But after seeing Priya’s and this recipe, I think I just might make it soon. BTW, your post on food photography was very eye opening!
Nags, just read your comments at Aroma. Since I don’t like sweet things much, I didn’t buy the Pudding book. Everything else I have from her except new Ganesh Chaturthi book!
Ridge gourd chutney is my favorite, looks delicious! 🙂
I’ve never had this gourd before. Wonder how it tastes like.
I never have had chammanthi with peechanga, looks yumm. In Ernakulum we had always peechanga, i alway loved the paripucurry mom made with peechanga.
hi nags,
nice chutney.we used to make this in a slightly different way without coriander leaves and sesame seeds.will try this and c:)
This is a very nice recipe. Chutney looks so divine. Lovely color. Have bookmarked ur recipe, will try it soon. YUM!
I make ridge gourd(we call peerkangai in tamil) thovayal kind something similar to this(wont temper either),and we make us of the peels too, Except the too sharp,hard ridges…! Glad that the first try of this veggie is a hit! And the second pisture doesnt shows its night time,too good!
Nags, the same story happens at my home also, i can see a wierd look at hubby’s face if i pick something new..
By the bye, this chutney looks yummy..I never added coriander leaves with ridgeguard..Hmm..Have to give a try…