02 May, 2009

Ridge Gourd Curry: For Busy Weekdays...

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Ridge Gourd Curry

What a week it turned out be!!! Meetings one after another, deadlines to meet, problems to resolve, and never ending telephone conversations with clients! By the time I get back home, I feel like I am ready to hit the pillow and never bother about cooking or even eating for that matter! Yes, it was one of those crazy weeks!


While my work life has taken over my personal life, I still managed to take some time to talk to my babies, feed them and sing them lullaby! Yes, it’s been more than ten days since I have had sowed all those seeds and right now only Methi plants have sprouted with tiny (a very tiny) leaves. Keeping my fingers crossed, I hope other will follow the suit pretty soon.


As far as the cooking is concerned, we have been surviving eating a large bowl of Salad with Dal Rice or with frozen Rotis and pickle. Once really hot stove has turned really cold but microwave is thriving on all the attention it’s been getting since past few days! And it would have kept going like this if not for this delicious bowl of Ridge Gourd Curry.


This got to be one of the simplest recipes I have had created! The base gravy uses the same ingredients that I used for Stuffed Capsicums in Peanut Sauce recipe. I had some left over peanut and spice mixture for Peanut gravy and used them as base gravy ingredients for this recipe. The recipe is simple, quick and straightforward and most importantly, you needn’t stand in front of your stove stirring the ingredients. Tender ridge gourd pieces are cooked along tamarind pulp and jaggary and then in a gravy of roasted peanut powder and spices to enhance its taste. It can’t get simpler than this. Make it when you are running short of time and have no patience to chop one vegetable after another and see how simple food can taste so delicious!


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Ridge Gourd

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Ridge Gourd Curry (Ridge Gourd served in Peanut Gravy)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 4-5
Recipe Level: Basic/Beginner
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or with flavoured/steam cooked Rice

Ingredients:
1 medium tender Ridge Gourd, slit vertically and then cut into 1 cm thick half moons
Small marble sized Tamarind Pulp/½ tsp Tamarind Paste or 2 tbsp Lime Juice
½-1 tsp Jaggery/Sugar
½ inch Ginger, grated
2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts Powder
½ tbsp Coriander Powder
¾ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½-1 tsp Garam Masala (Adjust acc to taste)
Salt to taste

For Tadka:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
1 Dry Red Chilli, halved
1 tbsp Oil
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Ridge Gourd Curry

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to pop and splutter, add curry leaves, dry red chilli and hing and sauté for half a min.
  2. Next add grated ginger and ridge gourd pieces along with turmeric powder, tamarind pulp and jaggery. Sauté, on medium flame, for about 3 minutes.
  3. Next add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add about 2-3 cups of water and bring it to gentle boil. Mix in salt to taste and roasted peanut powder and mix them well.
  5. Cook for another 5-10 minutes till ridge gourd is cooked well. Switch off the flame. If using Lime juice, add it now and mix well.
  6. Serve this delicious Ridge Gourd in Peanut Gravy along with steam cooked rice and enjoy!

Note:

  • The ridge gourd I have used here is a tender one and hence I have kept its peel. If you are using matured ridge gourd, then don’t forget to scrape/peel the skin and then use it.
  • Lemon/Lime juice should be added after you switch off the flame or else they will turn the gravy bitter.

44 comments :

  1. the obsession continues :)

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  2. Very new recipe to me.You truly are innovative.I missed several of your posts a I was on a vacation.Thanks for the Ugadi wishes and Hope you too enjoyed the ugadi.

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  3. Very new recipe to me.You truly are innovative.I missed several of your posts a I was on a vacation.Thanks for the Ugadi wishes and Hope you too enjoyed the ugadi.

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  4. Ridge Gourd curry looks delicious.....Oh i can understand the pain of cooking after coming home from work..half the time I end up eating frozen parathas with curd and pickle..

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  5. Very simple and perfect for busy weekdays, it should taste delicious and yummy...

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  6. Love the way you high lighted the curry leaf in the picture.... Once in a while when I am in a mood to eat masala curries, I throw in some groundnut and seasame seed powder to the curry....

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  7. Simple, comforting and delicious. Nice pics.

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  8. Ridge gourd and peanuts combo would have tatsed great..looking delicious..

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  9. Wow thats looking gorgeuous...Nice clicks asusual. Perfect and simples sidedish for roti and rice.

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  10. Very different curry Sia... looks yummy too. Cooking ridgegourd with skin on is also new to me...I should try out your recipe soon :)

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  11. Sia, that gourd pic is so beautiful. I am lover of gourds (as my prev blog posts indicates) and I love Ridge Gourd based curries. Love your recipe, especially the use of tamarind and peanuts. Amazing combo of flavours to use. Will try this for sure! I also have some ridge gourd recipes still waiting to be blogged..especially the skin chutney:-)

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  12. Sia, that gourd pic is so beautiful. I am lover of gourds (as my prev blog posts indicates) and I love Ridge Gourd based curries. Love your recipe, especially the use of tamarind and peanuts. Amazing combo of flavours to use. Will try this for sure! I also have some ridge gourd recipes still waiting to be blogged..especially the skin chutney:-)

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  13. My My, you can make the humble ridgegourds look stunningly sexy(If i can say that word).I never had tried CHIPS of ridge gourds though i very regularly make these in few ways
    Would love to try this way out too !

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  14. I've seen this veggie many a time in the Indian groceries store but never knew what to do with it. Nice recipe.

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  15. I planted methi too! hoping to see them 'turn green' soon!!
    Nice subzi! Nupur has a similar post on her one hot stove!

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  16. ooh. i'm going to try this with peanut butter.

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  17. Nice one Sia, must try this...I always stick to standard recipes with this veggies, never experimented too much. Peanut sauce with this sounds real interesting...

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  18. ooohhh... this is soo yummy :)
    love the peanut masala dishes... lovely series :)

    - Indhu (www.thayirsaadham.com)

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  19. Tamarind, jaggery and peanuts ... sure shot way to make the boring ridge gourd so interesting ... not to mention tasty too. :-)

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  20. Yummy combo of peanuts and jaggery! sounds excellent with ridge gourd!

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  21. Lovely curry with the ridgegourd...Looking yummy with the rich sauce.

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  22. Ridge gourd is a veggie I keep meaning to try but never have! This recipe sounds delicious-- I like the peanuts in there.

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  23. Love the list of spices you have used in this curry. These should have made the curry more delicious. Looks yummy Sia :)

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  24. I have never seen such tender small ridge gourds here. I actually have a tough time scraping off the peel! Nice and quick recipe for a week I can so SO relate to!

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  25. Ridge gourd is one of those veggies I am scared of :P This looks great, but I would have to use the base with some other vegetable. You sing to your plants sups? :) I'd love to see that on YouTube :D

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  26. The peanut is unusual and looks delicious with the peel!

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  27. That's a really great picture you took!

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  28. That peanut gravy is a regular now. I've sent that recipe to moe than 10 people already :D

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  29. That peanut gravy is a regular now. I've sent that recipe to moe than 10 people already :D

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  30. Very unique dish Sia. Talk about busy weeks...here things are very crazy too, after almost 6months, I met one of my friends today. We have been calling them for lunch for 6 months and every time, we callup and cancel on last day :(.This time I decided to meet them finally as they are going to have a baby soon and after that they wont be able to come again for many months.
    Hope you have some relaxing time next week.

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  31. This recipe is new to me.Easy and delicious :)

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  32. Hmmm.. Sia.. Yummy as usual. I have always wondered what I can do differently using the ridge gourd. This sounds like a perfect candidate. Every post of yours motivates me to come "this close" to writing a post. Will get back to it hopefully soon :)

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  33. What an interesting recipe!I know only few recipes that uses ridgegourd.I have never tried a curry with it.This curry looks very traditional and I love the spices you have used in it..Will try for sure!

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  34. The only thing I like ridge gourd is in a thogayal or chutney - but you have managed to make it look so appetizing here!

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  35. Lovely recipe.. Delicious! I was looking for some recipe with ridge gourd and here you are with a drool worthy recipe.. Thanks! :)

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  36. Great combination..this is completely a new recipe for me....dear...superb fotos nd presentation...

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  37. So you cook yours with the seeds in the middle... I've never cooked ridge gourd before though I've seen it recently at the market here. I thought the part with the seeds had to be taken out.

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  38. What a unique recipe this is, Sia. I just adore dishes with a peanut sauce.

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  39. Wow ! sounds intersting Thanks for sharing

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  40. Hi sia...u mentioned abt growing methi on ur blog...have tried growing few spices this year, do visit my blog on that.

    u have an amazing blog going on here..i dont eat gourd, so cant ooh abt it..but yea, looks great...almost tempts me to try it out!!

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  41. Sia, what a dish! Great to stop by your blog again, it's been a long time!

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  42. @Cynthia since the ridge gourd I used was very tender, there was no need to remove its skin and seeds. I usually remove the seeds and peel its skin when the ridge gourd is not that tender!

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  43. Sia, thank you for the recipe. When do you add the coriander and cumin powder?

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  44. @timetrotter, u add them with red chilli powder and garam masala. thanks for pointing it. will make the necessary correction :)

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