Peerkangai (Ridge Gourd) Thovayal

Actually this recipe uses just the peel of the ridgegourd - not the entire vegetable. My mom normally makes a simple curry with the gourd where it's cubed and sauteed with onions, tomatoes and chilli powder - not my favorite growing up but the thogayal she made with the peel was something I really liked... This is not a veggie I favour a whole lot and the fact that my husband isn't a fan either makes me usually skip this when I plan the grocery list but once in a while I do pick it up as a test to see if I've started liking it and of course, most importantly, to make this thogayal with the peels.

PEERKANGAI THOGAYAL


Ingredients:
RidgeGourd/Peerkangai - Peels of 1 gourd (they are pretty tough and look quite inedible)
Urad Dhal - 1 tbsp
Dried Red Chillies - 4 or 5
Tamarind - a small piece
Coconut - 2 to 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
1) Heat oil in a pan and add the urad dhal, tamarind and dried red chillies, when the dhal turns a light gold, toss in the peels, tamarind piece and salt.

2) Saute this on medium until the peels soften. I sometimes sprinkle a bit of water and close it with a lid to hasten the cooking process.

3) When done, toss in the grated coconut and switch off the stove. When this is cool enough, grind in a mixie to a slightly coarse paste with little water, as required. This is good when mixed in with rice or as an accompaniment to curd rice.