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Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Berakaya Thokku (Ridge gourd skin) Pachadi

Berakaya/turai thokku pachadi/ridge gourd pachadi

This is an always made pachadi at home when we bring berakaya /ridge gourd from the market. Its very sad to see throwing away the ridge gourd skin when its very tender and soft. So my mother makes this variety pachadi full of fiber from its skin. This is really a very easy pachadi and goes well with hot rice, dal and a dash of ghee.


Berakaya thokku/ridge gourd skin and pieces



Source: My Mother
Cuisine: South Indian, Andhra
Prep time: 7 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Makes: 4-5 people
Ingredients:
peeled skin of 3 berakaya(s)/turai/ridge gourd
½ cup of berakaya/turai/ridge gourd pieces
½ onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove of garlic, cut into big pieces
3-4 dried red chillies
1-inch of tamarind
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp Urad dal/black gram
2 tbsps oil
Salt as per taste


Method:
  1. First clean the gourds, trim the ends and then peel the skin of berakaya/ridge gourd. Cut ½ cup of berakaya/ridge gourd pieces, you can use the other pieces for curry/stir fry.
  2. Take oil in a kadai/sauce pan, to this add the gourd's peeled skin and pieces. and slowly cook for about 10 mins. Saute in between so that its not burnt.
  3. Then add cumin seeds, chopped onions, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, urad dal/black gram dal and salt and saute it till the skin and pieces are fully cooked.
  4. When you turn off the gas, add tamarind and red chillies and cover it.
  5. Once cooled coarsely grind to paste.
  6. Serve with hot rice, dal and ghee.
Note: adjust your spice level accordingly while using red chillies.




Our lunch today

You all must be wondering what did I do with the remaining pieces of berakaya/turai/ridge gourd. I sauted the pieces in oil along with onions, chillies and ¼ cup of soaked chana dal/bengal gram for about a hour or so. Saute altogether and add salt and chilli powder as per your taste. And here is our lunch today, Rice, Pappu charu (dal), berakaya thokku pachadi, sauted berakaya/turai/ridge gourd and salted Lassi.



33 comments:

Richa said...

that is one delicious looking thali :) pachadi is a good way to use the peels.

bee said...

dear padma, can you please post a pappu charu recipe?

sra said...

Nowadays I hesitate to use peel because I have this impression it contains most of the pesticide! I like this pachadi but we get v long, hybrid beerakayas here and I'm too lazy to peel them!

Sig said...

Not a big fan of the gourd, but love your pictures Padma! :)

Unknown said...

Nice Pics padma, but i like beerakaya pachadi, more than beerakaya thikku pachadi :)

Anonymous said...

we make "parruppu aracha karamedu" - vegatble in roasted toor dal with the skin.

personally i dont like the taste, but then my husband loves this vegetable.

interesting pachadi, i shall see if i can get my hands on some to taste.

FH said...

Hi Padma, the whole meal looks great! I make peel chutney too,it's tastes so good with rice rottis.Good ones Padma,thanks.See you later:)

Bong Mom said...

Lovely meal padma. I had seen this once and I was amazed that you make a chutney out of ridge gourd too

Saju said...

that's a great idea using the peel. Ridge-gourd is one of my fav Indian vegetables, I have eaten it for a long time, thanks for reminding me.

Swaruchy said...

Hi Padma...yday I bought fresh ridge gourd from the store and thought of posting beerakay-thokku chutney and Lo...I saw this recipe today in ur blog. Looks great...

Sharmi said...

that is a very nice recipe Padma. Pics make me hungry. nice presentation.

Prema Sundar said...

Hey u wont beleive this.. just last week my neighbour prepared this and gave me. I tasted it the first time and loved it. Till now I have been wasting the skin of ridgegourd.. now I know what to do. her recipe is almost the same as urs.

Srivalli said...

very good looking tali padma......pictures are very nice...

regarding my post...check out this site for more info on Val which was what I was talking about. I forgot to include this name...:)

http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ejones/ufdi/topics/dalrec/ddef.html

Srivalli
www.cooking4allseason.blogspot.com

Argus Lou said...

I like the way you lovingly prepare simple, delicious and wholesome food for you and your family. They're so blessed!
Noticed the lovely painted pattern on the edge of your table, Padma. ^_^

Dee said...

I love beerakaya, I used to pester my mom to make the peel chutney.Its simply superb

Padma said...

Richa dear thank you so much...

Bee, I will try to post the pappu charu recipe, sometime next week for sure.

Sra, what I do is the first layer of the peel I scrap n trash it, only the second layer of peel I use it for the pachadi..where do u live? We also get long berakai's

Padma said...

thanks Sig for stopping by, great to have you here...

Hey Spandana....i love beerakaya pachadi too!

Asha dear, love your comments, its must be tasting good with those rice rotis

Padma said...

Sandeepa, you must be wondering how many more kinda of chutney these Andhra people make...do we left anything out? :) thanks for ur kind comments

Saju, even I love eating ridge gourd often...but in various recipe n not the same old sauted one...

Lakshmi you are always welcome to have your hands on this..be quick b4 this finishes ;)

Padma said...

Sri what a coincedence and thanks for stopping by, let me know what you made out of those ridge gourds...

Sharmi, glad you liked it, thanks for your kind comments

Prema once you taste this pachadi..I am sure next time onwards you will not waste those peels

Padma said...

Srivalli, thanks for that link and your kind comments..

Argus, that painted pattern is not of my table but they are of my placemats, glad you liked it..that was a humble meal for the day in my family

Dee, do you make thokku pachadi's too?

Susan said...

When I first quickly looked at the photo, I thought it was spinach, but this is much more intriguing. It would be a shame to discard the skin; it is so vibrantly colored, it must offer more than just fiber.

TBC said...

Padma,
That's a good-looking pachadi. I have not tried using the peels for anything before. Your thali looks good:-)

Thanks for visiting my blog & leaving all those comments.BTW, since u asked, I just used the regular cucumber... nothing special.

Padma said...

Thank you Susan for visiting my blog and for your kind comments, yes indeed the skin tastes good and comes fat-free, not like chicken :)

TBC, thanks for dropping by , if its regular cucumber, then I have to try that curry one day..

Mandira said...

that looks delicious Padma.

Athika said...

It looks delicious. Will definately try this next time.

Anonymous said...

hey we too make it.it taste good and the fiber it has.....wow so much fiber.

Suganya said...

This is such a useful recipe..... Looking delish!.......Lovely

Padma said...

Thanks Athika and Mandira for your comments...and stopping by my blog really appreciate them

Padma said...

@ Sukanya thanks for visiting here, glad you liked it.

@ Ramya thanks for your kind comments..I hope you liked it...do u make the same version or different one!

Seema Bhat said...

Padma,
I would die for such an appetizing thali Padma. I love ridge gourd skin chutney very much. Goes so well with just rice and ghee right?

Padma said...

Thanks Seema, I am glad you loved the thali, but it was just a plain meal on an ordinary day :)

Poonam said...

Wow! thats a perfect way to use every bit of the vegetable!

Padma said...

tx Poonam

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