Beerakaya (ridge gourd, turai) tomato curry

I got 2 large ridge gourds aka beerakaya aka turai from my vegetable garden and they were my last crop for the season. All the leaves are changing their color to welcome fall.

Today I am making a very simple and authentic curry. Beerakaya (ridge gourd) by itself has a slight sweet flavor when cooked with sour tomatoes gives a mild tangy taste that tickles the taste buds and leaves an impressive flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 large ridge gourds peeled and chopped (check the taste of flesh as some times they might be bitter. If th e flesh itself is bitter, you should discard it.)
• 3 medium Tomatoes diced (I used vine ripe tomatoes)
  1 medium Onion diced
• 2 Green chilies slit length wise
• 1 tbsp Red chili Powder or adjust to taste
• 1 tsp Salt  or adjust to taste
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 2 dry red chili
• 1 tsp each of Mustard seeds, Cumin, Urad dal, chana dal and turmeric
• 1 stalk of Curry leaves.

Directions-

1. Heat oil in a sauce pan and add mustard seeds, once they splutter add cumin, red chili, urad dal, turmeric and curry leaves.
2. Once all of the above tempering is golden brown, add onions and sauté them till transparent.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and cook them till they are soft and mushy with the lid close (tip- Add ¼ tsp salt to make the tomatoes cook faster)
4. When tomatoes are soft, add chopped ridge gourd (beerakaya) pieces and sauté it for a min. Add chili powder and salt according to taste.
5. Cover with lid and let it cook on medium heat till the curry is done. Check and adjust the seasoning, keep stirring once in a while to prevent any burning (add little water if required).
6. Cook until all the water is evaporated and the beerakaya (ridge gourd) pieces are cooked to a very soft texture.
7. Enjoy the curry with steamed white rice or roti.

Note-

When using pressure cooker, cover the lid at step 5 and let it whistle 2 times. When the pressure is all released, open the lid and cook it to the desired consistency.

It tastes even better with white rice accompanied with some vadiyallu.

Beerakaya (ridge gourd, turai, chinese okra) tomato curry