Ridge gourd, potato and carrot – this is a veggie match, made in an Indian kitchen. Their flavors compliment each other and when combined with some onion, green chillies, coconut, they make a fresh, satisfying side dish.
This is the kind of veg-medley I love to make when I’m short on time. A pleasing, sweet-spicy taste that pairs well with rice and dal or with chapatis and corn tortillas. Tasty and flexible, lot of curry in less time – what more one could want in a recipe?
Recipe:
2 fresh looking ridge gourds (turai, beera kaya): First peel/or scrape the ridges on outside, wash the veggie, then cut it into bite sized pieces.
1 medium sized potato and carrot – peeled, then cut into bite sized cubes
1 onion – finely chopped
5 green chillies and 1 tbs of coconut powder – made into smooth paste
Salt to taste and pinch of turmeric
1 fistful of fresh or dried peas – I used dried peas (soaked overnight in water)
Popu ingredients – 1 tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin, minced garlic and curry leaves
It’s just like regular curry preparation, only thing you have to keep in mind is – first cook potatoes and carrots, add ridge gourd later, as it cooks faster, compared to potatoes and carrots.
Heat one teaspoon of peanut oil in a big pan. Add popu ingredients. When they start to splutter, add onions, saute for few minutes. Stir in peas, potatoes and carrots. Cover and cook them in their own moisture, for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
When they are little bit softened, stir in ridge gourd pieces, salt, turmeric and green chilli-coconut paste. Cover again and cook them, stirring in-between, till they reach the texture/softness you desire.
Serve hot with chapati/paratha or with rice and dal combination.
Ridge gourd curry and paratha ~ Our lunch.
What a perfect, healthy curry. Looks absolutely mouth watering, India. I particularly liked the color combination, makes it so appetizing.
Good recipe, once again!
Comment by Swathi — January 18, 2006 @ 6:13 pm
It looks delicious. Seems like it will go well with rice also? I love to use dried green peas since it does not add the sweetness of frozen peas.
Comment by mika — January 18, 2006 @ 6:34 pm
Thanks Swathi.
Me too, Mika. I like dried ones and I think they taste better than the over-sweet frozen peas. I often use the dry variety in pulaos, gravy curries etc.,
This curry tastes great when mixed with rice and dal. I just love it. You have to try this curry, Mika.:)
Comment by Indira — January 18, 2006 @ 6:41 pm
The combination is very interesting and appealing. Gotta try it.
Comment by Pavani — January 18, 2006 @ 7:08 pm
This seems like such a silly question. But I saw ridge gourds at the nearby intl market and wondered what to do with them — thanks to this post and the fact that awhile back I accidentally picked up cocont powder, I have a decent start! But … how do you make a paste with the chilis and coconut powder? And wouldn’t five chilis make something unbearably hot? I appreciate the help — everything you’re making makes me want to move right into the kitchen!
Indira replies…
Hi Alanna..please don’t hesitate to ask about your doubts.
To make a paste of chillies and coconut powder – you can do that in a mortar and pestle or using a blender. First cut green chillies into small pieces, then add coconut and make a paste without adding any water.
5 chillies – if you think, that’s unbearably hot, then reduce it, it’s that simple. But I don’t think it’s unbearably hot, because the chillies I used are small thai peppers and for the amount of veggies, 5 is the perfect number. Not too bland or not too spicy, just right amount in my view. Again if you like bland curry, then reduce the amount of chillies.
I hope this helps!
Comment by Alanna — January 18, 2006 @ 7:08 pm
I have tagged you for a meme on Ten Things You Never Knew About Me. Hope you think it sounds fun.
Indira replies…
Thanks for tagging me, Kalyn. But, I’m going to pass on this meme. I’m really not in the mood to talk about me, frankly I don’t think anybody would be interested to know or read about these things about me. Sorry,I hope you don’t mind.
Comment by Kalyn — January 18, 2006 @ 9:50 pm
Wow! interesting poreel Indira. Long time not cooking any dishes with ridgegourd. I would term this one as a poreel or poriyal than curry.
Comment by VK Narayanan — January 19, 2006 @ 7:44 am
or, upperi, or thoran as we call it !
Comment by renu — January 19, 2006 @ 10:29 am
Hi,
I am new to this place. Your recipes are really mouth watering and makes me enter kitchen. Thanks! The other day I happened to see a reicipe with sweet potato and I am trying high and low to find it, but in vain! Please do post the recipe again for me, because a sweet potato is lying in my kitchen for couple of days now!
Hi Deepa,
Thank you. Are you sure that you saw sweet potato recipe in my blog? Because I didn’t blog about it, this week or until now. I am very positive about that. You have to remember where you saw the recipe, perhaps in other food blog?
Comment by Deepa — January 19, 2006 @ 11:09 am
Ridge gourds are also a favourite here. This recipe looks easy indeed. I will try to find a patola (that’s how we call it) in the marketplace later.
Comment by Karen — January 19, 2006 @ 5:53 pm
Hi Indira- I moved my blog here http://greenjackfruit2.blogspot.com/ due to some problems. Please update my link. Can you plz send your email to my email address?
Comment by mika — January 19, 2006 @ 6:04 pm
Hi Karen, ridge gourd (Patola) cooked in this way, tastes really great. Do try and let me know how it turns out in your kitchen, thanks!
Mika.. I updated your link. I just sent you an email to the address listed in your blog, check it out.
Comment by Indira — January 19, 2006 @ 6:40 pm
Indira, This looks delicious. You are tempting us with your parathas too! Do tell how you make them. They look so yummy.
Comment by Kay — January 20, 2006 @ 12:09 pm
Oh yes, this is one of my favorites! Hugs,
M
Comment by melissa_cookingdiva — January 20, 2006 @ 3:04 pm
Hi Indira,
This is the first time I’m writing a comment on your web-site. I’ve been checking recipes for a few days now. I tried this hirekayi(kannada), potato, carrot curry and my husband and I liked it. He likes beerakaya and normally I dont know what to do with it except for the daal. Now I have an alternative. Your pictures are great, I love seeing them.
Keep up the good work!
Jyo Rao
Comment by Jyo — February 24, 2006 @ 11:16 am
Hey Indira,
I have some carrots & ridge gourd, was going to make two curries.Thanks to you I found this curry.We call ridge gourd vatakolu in Sinhalese.
Comment by Pinkey — September 9, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
hey Indira,
this is surprisingly good. i had a ridge gourd and a potato in my fridge and was wondering if there would ever be a combination of these two. so i typed in google beerakaya and potato curry i think and got ur recipe… i did cook it like u told and it tastes great. its nutritious and so i love it all the more…
thanks a lot !!!!
a nice recipe!!!!
karunasree
Comment by Anonymous — October 30, 2006 @ 8:06 pm
[…] Apr 27th, 2007 by Owlhaven Potato Carrot Curry served with corn tortillas. I used more carrot and potato since I have no idea what ridge gourd is…and I used dried yellow split peas. I think this would be good with injera too. […]
Pingback by Dinner Tonight « — April 27, 2007 @ 3:52 pm
Hi Indira
I am a regular visitor to your web site and I have tried few dishes. Will update here as soon as I try.
I have tried this recipe couple of times and myself and my husband both loved this. Wanting to leave a comment for a long time but did it finally today
Thanks
G
Comment by GV — October 3, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
I tried this recipe and was excellent and easy to prepare and quick
Comment by Sridevi — October 3, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
Hey Indira,
I had a ridge gourd at home and did not know what to do with it. This recipe looked really good and i decided to try it out. After preparing the entire dish, when i tasted it, turns out that the ridge gourd was bitter.
Is there a in which i can be sure that the gourd that i pick up from the store is not bitter?
Comment by Aparna Anand — April 13, 2010 @ 8:00 am