Turai, Turiya or Ridge gourd is a green ridged vegetable with white pulp inside. The skin is peeled off around the ridges and surrounding areas before it is cut and cooked. My mom can make a mean chutney from the peeled skin but I will save that recipe for some other day. Turiya or as we call it – Peerey can be quite bitter sometimes and maybe that’s why I have noticed quite a few people taking a quick bite of this vegetable before buying. I prefer selecting Turiya based on its appearance..if the skin doesn’t look dry.. I buy it. The taste of this dish rides a lot on the vegetable picked so choose well! I prefer to pair this dish with some rice and curry.
(Note: Add a little salt, to begin with. This vegetable when cooked reduces in size by almost 50%. )
Servings: 4
Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Turai / Turiya / Peerey Bhaji
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 sprig of curry leaves or kadipatta, kadipatta
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 of a small onion peeled and chopped
- 2 green chili peppers, chopped
- salt to taste
- 2 Turiya / Ridge gourd chopped into 1/2 inch cubes, Clean it well before you cut it
- 2 tablespoon grated coconut, optional
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok. To it add mustard seeds and as they begin to splutter add curry leaves and garlic.
- After 10 seconds or so add onions, green chilies, and salt. Fry it till onions turn translucent.
- Add Turiya and let it cook covered for 10 minutes until it is done. ( Note: You don’t need to add water while cooking this vegetable. It releases water on its own).
- Garnish it with grated coconut (if using).
Disclaimer: Approximate Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and can vary depending on the exact ingredients/brands used. If you have health issues, please work with a registered dietician or nutritionist for accurate information.
Hi, I tried this today and it came out bitter!! I am so upset!
Hi Meenakshi – The reason it has turned out bitter is because the turai was bitter. If the produce you use doesn’t taste good, no matter what you do, you cannot make a great tasting sabzi. Next time, taste the turai, if it is bitter, just don’t make the sabzi. Here’s an article on how to pick a turai and what to do with a bitter turai – http://www.masalakorb.com/ridge-gourd-chutney-or-beerakaya-pachadi/. Hope this helps.
Trying this today
Suhasini – let me know how it turned out. Can’t wait to hear back from you.