Ridge Gourd Stew / Peerkangai Kootu

Let me share with you my quick way of preparing this delicious, healthy, easily digestible and fibre rich dish - Peerkangai Kootu.

It is easily available in the market, ensure you buy the ones that aren't very thick and hard - it means they are old.

Like snakegourd, we can make wonderful stew using ridgegourd too. Ridge gourd is extremely rich in dietary fiber and enriched with all the vital elements. it is low in saturated fat, cholestrol and calories that aids in weight loss. So we need to try and use this healthy vegetable more in our kitchen. Lets see the simple recipe of Peerkangai Kootu now

Ingredients : 


Ridge Gourd / Peerkangai - 1 long pc (washed and peeled skin) 

Moong dal - 1/2 cup 
Toor dal - 1/4 cup 
Coconut scrapings - 1/4 cup (purely optional)
Oil - 1 tbsp 
Salt - to tatse 
Water - 2 cups (to pressure cook this)

To temper : 


Long red chilli / Green chilly - 3 

Curry Leaves - 1/2 sprig 
Coriander leaves / hara dhaniya - for garnish 
Chana Dal + Urad Dal - 1 tbsp 
Mustard - 1/2 tsp 
Jeera - 1/2 tsp 
Hing - 1 pinch

Method : 


1. Wash, peel the ridge gourd and chop into small pieces. 

2. Wash and soak the moong dal + toor dal. In a cooking bowl add the lentils and cut ridge gourd. Add water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. I usually cook it along with rice. 
3. When the pressure releases, transfer the ridge gourd to the cooking platform and gently stir it. 
4. In a kadai, add oil and mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add everything listed under "To Temper" except coriander. 
5. Add to it the pressure cooked lentils+Ridge gourd mixture to it and toss it. Cook it in low flame. 
6. When you see bubbles on it turn off the gas, garnish with dhaniya and serve hot with sambar rice, rasam rice, plain rice, chapati etc. 

NOTE : 

  • You can grind coconut+Jeera+green chillies in a blender and add to the lentil mixture while cooking on sim flame. and turn off the gas after 2 minutes of adding coconut. 
  • Both tastes great. I have given my simple recipe 
  • Similarly you can make snake gourd, bottle gourd, cucumber kootu
  • You could add chopped onions and tomatoes, add turmeric too. It would taste great Since i wanted to retails the natural flavour and colour i usually don't add. 

DIVI !! 
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