Peerkangai Thogayal Recipe (Ridge Gourd Chutney)
It is a south Indian side dish that pairs very well with steamed rice and rasam.
Peerkangai Thogayal/Ridge gourd chutney is a south Indian side dish that pairs very well with steamed rice and rasam. Ridge gourd can be prepared in various ways, in the form of curries, as an addition to sambar, but I like it best as a thick creamy thogayal.
Chopped veggies are cooked after tempering with mustard, urad dal, channa dal and green chillies until they turn soft. It is them ground into a paste/chutney. The spices are kept minimal with just a pinch of asafoetida and turmeric to get the best of the ridge gourd.
Serve Peerkangai Thogayal along with Home made Soft Idlis for breakfast.
If you like this recipe, you can also try other Chutney recipes such as
5 M
15 M
20 M
2 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 Ridge Gourd (Turai/ Peerkangai)
- 1 teaspoon Black Urad Dal (Split)
- 1 teaspoon Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal)
- 1 Green Chilli , chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu)
- Asafoetida (hing) , a pinch
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
- Salt , to taste
- 2 teaspoons Fresh coconut , grated (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon Tamarind Paste , (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Oil
How to make Peerkangai Thogayal Recipe (Ridge Gourd Chutney)
To begin making the Peerkangai Thogayal recipe, wash and scrape the pointed ridges of the gourd. Rinse once again to remove the gritty bits.
Slice lengthwise and dice into small cubes. Heat oil in a wok/ kadhai. Add the mustard seeds.
Once the mustard splutters, add asafoetida followed by the chana dal and urad dal.
Stir fry on low for about a minute until the dals turn golden brown.
Add the cut veggies, salt and turmeric. Cover with a lid and allow to cook until the ridge gourd turns soft.
Remove the lid and cook for another five minutes to allow the excess moisture to escape. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool down completely.
You may now add the grated coconut/ tamarind paste along with the cooked veggies to make the chutney. Grind the cooled ridge gourd [without adding water] into a thick chutney. Your peerkangai thogayal is ready to be served.
Serve Peerkangai Thogayal along with Home made Soft Idlis for breakfast.
Not scraping off the entire outer skin of the ridge gourd helps to give the thogayal a lovely texture and colour.
The pinch of turmeric also helps to enhance the green colour of the chutney.
Fresh ridge gourd doesn't need water to cook but in case you feel your vegetable feels slightly dry, add about 1/4 cup of water to cook it.
Adding freshly grated coconut or a bit of tamarind is a tasty variation to this thogayal.
