Bagara Turai aur Tarkari Khatta

One of my favorite vegetables is Ridge gourd (Turai, Beerakaaya, Peerkankai, Shirala etc etc) but only if you know how to cook it. Sometimes this vegetable is a little bitter and you need to taste it and discard some piece of it and the rest will be good. But I know one person who doesn't do this and let me tell you, there is nothing worse than a bitter ridge gourd curry

                 I made the simplest and most flavorful ridgegourd stir fry and to go with it I made khatta (meaning sour) with vegetables. This used to be a staple in those olden day (not so long ago that is...may be like 10 years ago) Muslim weddings in Andhra
                And I also fried some Appadam or pappadam or papad . This ofcourse, can be a low calorie snack if made in microwave

Bagara Turai (Ridge gourd stir fried)

Bagara Turai

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb Ridge gourd (peeled and save it to make chutney out of it)
2. 2 tablespoons oil
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, chanadal (soaked in water for 10 minutes), salt, turmeric
4. 1 garlic pod chopped
5. 2 red chillies broken
6. few curry leaves

Peel the ridge gourd and taste the ends (Cut a small piece and put it in your mouth and chew, if it is bitter spit it, cut about an inch off the gourd and repeat, until you get to a good tasting part of the vegetable) (Unfortunately sometimes, the whole gourd is bitter)

Cut the gourd into quarters and slice into1/8 or 1/6 inch thick (The curry will taste different if you cut it differently, so cut it in this way PLEASE)

Turai ke tukde

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin, urad dal, chanadal and mustard seeds for 3 minutes. Add red chillies, garlic and curry leaves and fry for a couple of more minutes. Add turai pieces and stir. Cover and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Simmer uncovered till all the water escapes and the fry gets really dry and oil floats. Serve

Tarkari Khatta (Vegetables in Tamarind juice)

Sweet potato khatta

Ingredients:

1. 2-3 Indian Eggplant chopped rough
2. 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes chopped
3. 1/2 cup sliced red onions
4. 1 medium small sweet potato boiled (This is the star ingredient)
5. 2 cups of juice from a small lemon sized tamarind
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt, turmeric
7. 1 green chilly sliced
8. 1/4-1/3 teaspoon red chilly powder
9. 1 tablespoon oil

In a pressure cooker heat the oil and fry the onions till tender. Add tomatoes and eggplant and fry for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except sweet potato and boil for 3 whistles. Let all the steam escape, open the cooker and add 1/2 inch slices of sweet potato and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with white rice

Use the Peel of the ridge gourd to make Ridge gourd peel chutney

Star papad