Heerekai Bajji Recipe | Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakoda Recipe

Learn how to make Heerekai Bajji or Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakoda ~ Crispy deep fried ridge gourd fritters in a spicy gram flour batter

It’s been three weeks since we came back after a month long stay in India; from one home where I was born and spent most part of my life to another home which has been our home for more than a decade. I brought with me a bag full of homemade treats, pickles, masalas, heirloom pieces to adorn our home and most importantly, beautiful memories to cherish! I have many stories to tell, recipes to share, photographs to show in coming days. But now, I am trying to fight the homesickness that engulfs me… One would think that it becomes easier after 12 years of leaving the motherland, but it’s as fresh as the first time I left the country where my soul lives… As I continue to struggle with homesickness and writer’s block, let me share this quick recipe of simple Heerekai Bajji or Ridge Gourd/Turai Pakoda that my Amma made on a beautiful monsoon evening.

There is something magical about eating hot, crispy pakodas with chai or filter kaapi on a monsoon evening which is difficult to put in few words. For me, a plate of crisp pakodas, hot cup of freshly brewed filter coffee and a book in hand while watching the monsoon rain weave their magic is something I can never tire of. On one such evening when it was raining cats and dogs, Amma made these delicious Heerekai Bajji or Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakodas and one bit of it, I fell in love with it. In between stuffing my face with this crispy goodness, I managed to click couple of photographs and write down the recipe to share with you all. :)

There are couple of things to keep in mind when buying the ridge gourd for this recipe. Choose ridge gourd which has firm dark green coloured skin with fresh green stem. A good ridge gourd has firm flesh and tender seeds. If you find their flesh to be cotton like soft texture, it’s best not to use for this recipe. Make sure the pakoda batter is neither too thick or thin. It should be of dosa batter consistency. It should stick to the ridge gourd and coat evenly before deep frying. Fry the pakoras on medium flame to make sure it is cooked thoroughly inside out. Don’t be tempted to cook them on high flame as you will end up with half cooked, chewy pakodas. So keeping all these in mind, let’s get cooking this delicious Heerekai Bajji or Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakoda. Let’s get cracking! :)

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Heerekai Bajji/Ridge Gourd Pakoda (Crispy, deep fried ridge gourd fritters coated in spicy chickpeas batter)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginners
Spice Level: Medium
Makes: About 15-20
Shelf Life: Best served fresh
Serving Suggestion: On their own or with any spicy chutney or ketchup with a cup of tea or coffee

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Ingredients:
1 medium Ridge Gourd, peeled and sliced into ¾ cm thick rounds
Oil for deep frying

For the batter:
¾ cup Gram/Chickpeas Flour, sifted to remove lumps
1 heaped tbsp. Rice Flour or Semolina
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds, crush it in your palms to release their flavour
¼ tsp Ajwain/Carom Seeds, crush it in your palms to release their flavour
½-1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Adjust as per taste)
¼ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder
A generous pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
A pinch of Cooking Soda/Soda Bi Carbonate (Optional)
Salt to taste

Method:
Preparation:

1. Prepare the batter by mixing the sifted gram flour, rice flour or semolina, cumin seeds, carom seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric, hing, cooking soda and salt to taste. Add little water at time to make batter which is not too runny or thick (dosa batter consistency). Taste and adjust the seasoning and keep it aside until needed.
2. Heat the oil for deep frying on medium flame.
3. While the oil is heating, wash and scrape the ridge gourd with a help of a sharp knife or peeler to remove the hard ridges. It is not required to peel the ridge gourd completely. Slice the ridge gourd to 3/4 – 1 cm thick discs and keep it aside.
4. Line the plate or tray with kitchen towel and keep it aside.

Proceed to cook:

1. Dip the ridge gourd discs in a batter, making sure that the batter is well coated on all sides before gently dropping it into a hot oil, one at a time. Fry the pakodas in a batch of 5-6 on medium flame, flipping them in between until they turn golden brown and crisp. It takes around 3-4 minutes per batch on a medium flame.
2. Remove the cooked pakodas from oil using slotted spoons and place them on a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.
3. Serve this delicious Heerekai Bajji or Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakoda on its own or with any chutney or ketchup along with a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

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Sia’s Notes:

• Choose ridge gourd which has firm dark green coloured skin with fresh green stem. A good ridge gourd has firm flesh and tender seeds. If you find their flesh to be cotton like soft texture, discard it.
• Make sure the batter is neither too thick or thin. It should be of dosa batter consistency. It should stick to the ridge gourd and coat evenly before deep frying.
• Fry the pakoras on medium flame to make sure it is cooked thoroughly inside out. Don’t be tempted to cook them on high flame as you will end up with half cooked, chewy pakodas.

Ridge Gourd Curry: For Busy Weekdays...

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!

Old is Gold: Ridge Gourd Dal

Ridge Gourd Dal

Bowl of popcorns, soda, crisps and pakodas, thick pillows and duvet and we are all set to watch one movie after another… Most of the Sundays are spent this way and last weekend we decided to roll back the time and go to 60’s and 70’s Bollywood movies. Boy, why don’t we have those kinds of movies with great storylines anymore!!! Watching them is like travelling through kaleidoscope of colours and reliving your colourful past. Every emotion is portrayed in a very subtle manner with generous doses of discreet symbolisms put in between. Just one look at the characters or the setting, you can easily decipher who they are and what is the situation. Through dress codes you can easily identify who is who. The hero of the movie is shown either wearing some colourful bell bottoms held with thick flashy buckled belt with matching shirt and driving a long, big car if he is from wealthy Khandan or spotted wearing simple kurtha-pyjama or simple shirt and trousers if he happened to be from poor/middle class family. Heroine is seen wearing colourful ‘decent’ frocks with matching high heels, sun glass and scarf if she is from wealthy family or draped in simple plain sarees with long hair when playing dutiful daughter. When it comes to the villain and vamp, they are always dressed in stripped t-shirt with a big mole or a scar on the cheek and figure hugging short dress with heavy make-up respectively. And then comes the most important roles next to these four characters, mother. She is always in kitchen cooking her son’s favourite Kheer or Besan ke Ladoos or Parathas and delivering standard dialogues with bucketful of tears!

And then comes to the shooting locations. Romantic scenes? It’s usually hero following the heroine in bicycle or cars or dance sequence in disco with dome shaped wigs, or on snowy backdrop of Himalayas. Its common to see Hero and heroine dancing in the lush green garden and suddenly two flowers popping up and are shown brushing each other (those who are unfamiliar with Bolloywood movies, it means hero and heroine are indulging in physical romance). Fight sequence? Use dark and dingy go downs with gunny bags, huge glass partitions, drums, thick ropes, or market place with carts filled with tomatoes, mud pots, hills of colours, or use out door locations like edge of a cliff where hero is seen hanging like a hanging pot fighting with some dozens of bad guys and heroine screaming at top of her voice ‘Bachaoo’ (help!). Song sequence? It’s either hero or heroine playing piano or running around the trees.

All said and done, movies of those days still grabs our attention with strong story lines and in spite of standard dialogues they still remain magical. Who can ever forget ever green songs like Tumne Muje Dekha, Neele Gagan Ke, Ehsaan Tera Hoga, Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera, Mohe Panghat Pe, Yeh Shaam Mastani, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Tere Mere Sapne, Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai, Yaadon Ki Baarat, Zindagi Kaisi Ye Paheli, Maine Tere Liye Hi, O Mere Sona Re, Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi, Dil Dhoondta Hai Phir Wohi, Dil Kya Kare,..... The list is endless… these songs are still hummed, cherished and will always be my favourite. Yes, it’s true that “Old is Gold”.

Similar to old movies and songs are some recipes. Dal remains to be my comfort food and this special dal is no exception. This classic my Amma’s recipe of Ridge Gourd Dal is one such ever-green one. Silky ridge gourd is cooked in creamy moong dal and coconut paste is full of flavours. Like vintage movies and songs, this dal gets better and better when cooked every time. And this goes to brave lady Barbara of Winos and Foodie's Taste of Yellow event supporting LiveSTRONG Day which is on 13th of May, 2008.

She Says,

"Please join me again as we remember those loved ones who are no longer with us, support those still fighting and celebrate with those who have won the fight."

I couldn't participate last year due to time constraints and i almost forgot about it this year. Thanks to blog buddies I am back on track and sending my mother's recipe of Ridge Gourd Dal to her.

Print This Recipe

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Ridge Gourd Dal (Ridge Gourd Cooked with Moong Dal and Coconut)
Prep Time: 10 mins
cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:
4 cups Ridge Gourd, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large Onion, chopped
2 large Tomatoes, chopped into big chunks
¾ cup Split Moong Dal
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
1-2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

For Coconut Paste:
½ cup grated Coconut, fresh/frozen
2-3 Green Chillies (adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 inch Ginger

For Tempering:
1 tsp Ghee/Oil
½ tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
A big Pinch of Hing/Asafoetida

Ridge Gourd & Moong Dal

Method:
Wash and cook Moong Dal with turmeric powder, ridge gourd cubes, onion and tomatoes and few drops of oil with enough water (about 2-2½ cups of water) in a pressure cooker for about 10-15 minutes/2 whistles till dal is cooked.
Release the pressure from pressure cooker and let it cool before opening the lid.
Meanwhile, grind coconut, green chilli, ginger and jeera to smooth paste by adding little water at time.
Transfer this ground paste to cooked dal and mix well. Add salt to taste and let it simmer on low flame for about 5-10 minutes for all the flavours blend well. Add water to the dal if needed to get required consistency.
Heat oil/ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds. When mustard starts to pop and splutter add jeera, hing and curry leave in that order and sauté. When jeera starts to sizzle, transfer the content into dal and mix well.
Mix in chopped coriander leaves and serve this Ridge Gourd Dal with steaming bowl of Rice or Chapatti and enjoy.

Ridge Gourd Dal

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Notes:
Some variations are, use Toor/Masoor Dal in place of Moong Dal and use coconut milk in place of grated coconut for different flavours.
You can also replace ridge gourd with bottle gourd, ash gourd or any other gourds.

Other dazzling dals posted on Monsoon Spice

• Dal Palak
• Chana Dali of Puri Jagannath Temple
• Coconut Milk Rasam
• Raw Mango & Spinach Dal
• Nimbu Saaru/Lemon Rasam