Beerakaya Chutney / Beerakaya Tokka Chutney / Dodka Recipes / Turai skin recipes

Beerakaya Chutney / Beerakaya Tokka Chutney / Dodka Recipes / Turai skin recipes

 

Today´s recipe is a dish that can be prepared on a daily basis. Beerakaya tokka pachchadi is prepared with the tender skin of the beerakaya. Beerakaya is also known as ridge gourd in English, Turia in Hindi, Peerakangai in Tamil and Heerakayi in Kannada. Whatever be the name, I simply love this veggie because of its sweetened taste. I generally prepare simple fry with this versatile veggie which is loved by my family. I have already posted Gutti Beerakaya Kura which is a semi gravy masala curry. My daughter just loved this currry.

Today´s recipe is ridge gourd skin chutney is prepared with the tender skin of the ridge gourd. This is one of the traditional recipes that was followed by our mothers and grandmothers. The skin is rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories. The addition of lentils make it all the more healthy giving the dish a lovely nutty taste.

This ridge gourd skin chutney goes well with hot rice and a dollop of ghee or with any South Indian breakfast. I love this with rice. Just mix this with hot rice. If you want the rice spicy then there is no need to add ghee, but if you do not like spicy, then add little ghee. Even your kids will enjoy this awesome dish.

You can also view my other  chutney recipes :

murungai keerai podi

sesame chutney

coconut chutney

Preparation

Peel the skin and wash it. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan.

Once the oil is hot, add garlic pods.

Once they turn golden brown in colour, add slit green chillies and cumin seeds.

When the cumin seeds splutter, add peanuts, moong dal and channa dal.

Fry them in oil until the lentils turn golden brown in colour. Transfer to another plate. Now in the same pan, add the washed skin of the ridge gourd, salt and cook covered until the peel becomes soft.

Also add sesame seeds at the time of adding the peels. Remove from flame once the peel is cooked. Allow it to cool. Add tamarind and grind all the lentils and the peel together to a coarse paste.

Do not too much water while grinding. If you add too much water, then the chutney will become watery and will not go well with rice. Grind to a coarse paste and do the tempering with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. This tempering is optional. The chutney will taste good even if you skip the tempering part. Enjoy with hot rice.

Ingredients

Ridge gourd Peel  Peel of 3 ridge gourd ( OR ) 2 cups

Oil  1 tbsp

Garlic 3 pods

Green chillies  5-6

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Peanuts  2 tbsp

Moong dal  2 tbsp

Channa Dal  2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Tamarind  small lemon size

Sesame seeds 2 tbsp

For tempering

Oil  1 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp

Red chillies 2

Curry leaves  few sprigs

Method

1. Peel the skin of the ridge gourd and wash the peel. Keep aside. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and add garlic pods. 
3. When the garlic pods become light brown in colour, add cumin seeds and green chillies. 
4. When the cumin seeds crackle, add all the lentils namely, peanuts, moong dal and channa dal. 
5. When the lentils change colour, transfer to another plate.
6. In the same pan, add the peel and salt and cook covered. 
7. Cook on a low flame until the peel is soft and cooked. 
8. Once this mixture is cool, add sesame seeds and tamarind and grind all the ingredients together along with the lentils in a mixie. Grind to a coarse paste without adding too much water. 
9. Do the tempering with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and red chillies and pour it on the chutney. 
10. Serve with hot rice or any Indian breakfast dish.

Notes

• You can increase or decrease the quantity of lentils according to your taste and liking. 
• You can also increase or decrease the amount of spice by adding more or less green chillies. 
• The tempering is not quite essential but it is good for presentation.    
• You can also add chunks of ridge gourd vegetable to this chutney.