Ridge Gourd Chutney
By: Nithya Das
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 4:47pm

Ingredients




2 ridge gourds
2 teaspoons urad daal
2 dried red chili pepper
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tsbp. dried coconut powder*
Salt  

3/4 tablespoon tamarind paste

Preparation

1 Cut the ridge gourd into 2 pieces or 3 so that is a manageable size to work with. Peel the skin using a hand peeler. If the vegetable is fresh, then it’s not so difficult to peel but some parts of the skin may be dry and therefore a little tough to peel. But keep at it! I find it easier to drag the peeler right down the ridge. 2 After peeling, slice the ridge gourd in half lengthwise. If the ridge gourd is a little older, there may be big, palpable seeds on the inside which should be removed. 3 Dice the ridge gourd into small cubes. 4 Heat about 1 tspn. oil in a large skillet. Add the urad daal and red chilies and fry for a few minutes until the urad daal is golden being careful to not let it burn. 5 Add the cubed ridge gourd and shower with about 1 tspn. to salt. Cook for about 20 minutes until the ridge gourd starts to look translucent and cooked through. 6 After allowing to cool, add the entire mixture plus the coconut to the blender and blend without adding an extra water (the ridge gourd will give off a lot of water as it cooks and this should be enough for blending) until you have a paste like consistency. 7 Meanwhile, pop about 1 tspn. of mustard seeds in the same skillet. Add the paste back to the skillet with the mustard seeds. Mix in tamarind paste. 8 Continue cooking on low heat for about 5 minutes - if the chutney is too watery cook until a smooth, thick-ish consistency is reached. 9 Mix with warm rice until the rice is well coated with chutney and enjoy. 10 You can use grated fresh coconut instead of coconut powder, but adding coconut is optional altogether.

About


My mom taught me this recipe.  It's simple and nutritious yet very tasty - rich, nutty and creamy.  Mix a generous portion with hot Basmati rice or eat with a roti.