Peerkangai Kootu is a delicious South Indian curry made with a combination of ridge gourd and lentils. It makes up a wonderful side dish with chapati or rice.
Peerkangai is the same as ridge gourd, or Turai or Tori or Turiya. The vegetable has a hard exterior but a very soft interior. It is low in calories and has a high moisture content. For this reason, while you cook this vegetable, it will ooze out a lot of water. It is a perfect vegetable for people on diets or even as a light healthy veggie.
Peerkangai Kootu is a mix of peerkangai and lentils . Here the veggie can be substituted by any other vegetable which has a high content of moisture. You can substitute the daal too. I have used a combo of Moong and Channa Daal, but you can use Masoor or Toor Daal or even a mix of two lentils.
Peerkangai Kootu was a part of my Chettinad Wedding Spread and I was quite amazed to read that a veggie like Tori was being served in a wedding spread. In the North, they always think of rich elaborate dishes. The Ridge Gourd and lentil curry turned out delicious, the coconut paste and the tempering make it really unique.
It’s rather interesting that the South Indians make a delicious chutney with the peels of ridge gourd, to be frank, I have yet to gather my strength to make this Chutney. We normally make ridge gourd with onion and tomatoes, with the addition of Bengal gram daal at times, but unfortunately, I haven’t shared this Sindhi style curry. Anyways let’s check the Peerkangai Kootu which is my pick for the alphabet P under the A to Z series where I am posting all Thali Recipes from my drafts.
Peerkangai Kootu
Ingredients
Vegetables
500 gms ridge gourd / peerkangai
1/2 cup shallot onions
2 green chillies, slit
Daal
1 tbsp chana daal
1/2 cup moong daal
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Seasoning
1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Curry leaves – few
1/4 cup grated coconut
Salt to taste
Method
Vegetable
Peel the ridge gourd and chop it into fine pieces.
Saute the onions, green chillies, with the vegetable for 5 to 7 mins.
Add 1/2 cup water and cook till done.
Daals
In another pressure cooker, boil the daals and keep them aside.
Curry
After the vegetables are cooked, add the boiled daal into it and add some more water and bring to a boil.
After water reduces and comes to your required consistency, add grated coconut, cumin seeds and salt.
Combine well and adjust spice, transfer to the serving bowl.
Heat one teaspoon of ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds and curry leaves.
When it splutters switch off the flame and pour the seasoning into the kootu.
Here are the recipes under the A – Z series of Thali Recipes –
B – Bhavnagri Mirch ke Bhajiye
I – Imli ki Khatti Meethi Chutney
Peerkangai Kootu
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 500 gms ridge gourd / peerkangai
- 1/2 cup shallot onions
- 2 green chillies slit
Daal
- 1 tbsp Chana Daal
- 1/2 cup moong daal
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Seasoning
- 1 tsp ghee
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- leaves Curry– few
- 1/4 cup Grated coconut
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Vegetable
- Peel the ridge gourd and chop it into fine pieces.
- Saute the onions, green chillies, with the vegetable for 5 to 7 mins.
- Add 1/2 cup water and cook till done.
Daals
- In another pressure cooker, boil the daals and keep them aside.
Curry
- After the vegetables are cooked, add the boiled daal into it and add some more water and bring to a boil.
- After water reduces and comes to your required consistency, add grated coconut, cumin seeds and salt.
- Combine well and adjust spice, transfer to the serving bowl.
- Heat one teaspoon of ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds and curry leaves.
- When it splutters switch off the flame and pour the seasoning into the kootu.
Notes
This is a great kootu. Though I haven’t used onions in our kootu, we love peerkangao kootu. I marking to try this recipe with onions that would add a different flavor.
Do share the Sindhi way to prepare this vegetable Vaishali, I am really interested. I always make a thogayal/ thick chutney with this vegetable, but kootu is an excellent idea too. Yeah I also don’t use onions in kootu, but definitely would try to see how it tastes!