Ridge gourd also known as Peerkangai or Chinese okra. It belongs to cucumber family, high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Whenever I find ridge gourd in my nearby store, will surely buy it and make sambar and with leftover skin , I will make thogayal / chutney. It’s really nice idea of using skin without wasting it. It has lots of fiber and nutrition in it. This is very easy to make thogayal and tastes yumm…Best accompaniment for this thogayal are idly or dosa or rasam rice or plain white rice.

    Ingredients

          2/3 Cup of Ridge Gourd Skin
          2 Tbsp of Urad Dal
          1 Tsp of Bengal Gram / Channa Dal
          1 Tbsp of Dessicated Coconut Flakes
          2 Garlic Cloves
          2 – 3 Red Chillies
          Pinch of Asafoetida / Hing
          Tamarind – Blueberry/Small Gooseberry size
          Salt to Taste
          2 Tsp of Oil

    To Temper

          1 Tsp of Oil
          1/2 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
          1/2 Tsp of Urad Dal
          1 Sprig of Curry Leaves

    Method

• Wash the ridge gourd and peel the skin. Keep this aside.
• Heat a pan with oil, add red chillies and garlic cloves, saute for a min until garlic turns soft.
• Add urad dal and channa dal, fry for 1-2 mins until it changes light brown color.
• Add coconut flakes, asafoetida, ridge gourd skin, tamarind and salt, saute for 2 mins. Once it done, turn off the stove. Let it cool down for 5 mins.
• Transfer everything to a blender, and grind until mixture turns smooth. Transfer this to a bowl.
• Heat a pan with oil, add all the ingredients listed under ” To Temper”. After mustard seeds splutter, turn off the stove and transfer this to chutney. Mix well.
• Serve with dosa or idly or rasam rice.

    
   Tips

• Adjust spicy taste according to your taste buds.
• You can add green chillies instead of red chillies.
• You can also add little ginger for extra flavor.
• Store it in an airtight container and refrigerate, it will last for 2-3 days.

   Health Benefits of Ridge Gourd     

• The juice is used as a natural remedy for jaundice.
• Low in saturated light and cholesterol, high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• It has blood purifying properties.
• Good for skin, liver and increases immune system.
• Aids in weight loss.
• Cellulose in ridge gourd helps to overcome constipation problem.

        Snakegourd  or pudalangai, is so called because it looks like snake, can grow from foot to six feet in length. Snake gourd belongs to cucumber family, widely grown in India, Thailand, Nigeria and Australia. This is quite a popular vegetable in Indian cooking. In North India, they cooked with dal(Lentil Soups). In South India, they make it as dry curries, gravies and raitha  It is  high in water content,  low in calories, fat free but filling and great to include in weight loss diets.
    Coming to this recipe, they are cooked with spices, coconut and milk. This flavorful curry is a good accompaniment for rasam rice or dal rice or puli kulambu. Try this recipe and let me know your feedback.

     Ingredients

          1 Snake Gourd, Medium Size
          2 Tbsp of Chopped Red Onion
          1/2 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
          1 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder
          1 Tbsp of Dried Coconut Flakes
          3 Tbsp of Milk (2%)
          Salt to Taste

     To Temper

          2 Tsp of Oil
          1 Red Chilly
          1 Tsp of Mustard
          1 Tsp of Urad Dal
          1 Sprig of Curry Leaves
         

     Method

• Wash the snake gourd in the cold tap water. Cut it into 2 halves. Slit the chopped pieces and remove the white centre part of the seeds using hand or with spoon and discard it. Chop the vegetables into small pieces.
• Heat a pan with oil, add red chilly (Break it), mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, after it splutter, add the chopped onion, fry for 2 mins until it turns golden brown.
• Then add chopped snake gourd, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and salt. Saute for a min. Sprinkle some water and cover the pan with a lid and cook it in a medium high flame for 5 mins or until it turns soft.
• Open the lid, add the dried coconut flakes, saute for a min.
• Finally add the milk, mix well with the veggie, cook for a min and turn off the flame.
• Enjoy the snake gourd curry with rice.

   Tips

• Best accompaniment for this curry is Kara Kulambu or Puli Kulambu. or Rasam
• You can use either dried coconut flakes or the fresh coconut.
• Use coconut milk instead of 2% Cow’s milk.
• Addionally you can add jeera or cumin for tempering.
• Use coconut oil or vegetable oil for cooking this curry.

   Health Benefits of Snake Gourd

• Snake gourd juice is a effective treatment  for dandruff.
• It has been found that it’s leaves are useful for treating jaundice and palpitations(Irregular Heart Beat)
• Snake Gourd has high in water content and has a cooling effect on the body.
• It has lot of fibers, which helps in digestive tract healthy and also good for diabetes.
• Good source for magnesium, calcium and phosphorous.