Beerakaya Kura - Andhra Style Ridge gourd Curry

It is a delectable Andhra style ridge gourd cooked in a tomato based gravy.The result is a delicious curry that has a slight sweet favour and goes very well with rotis and rice. It is a simple, healthy & quick to make this delicious vegetarian curry. Do not omit the jaggery and saunf (aniseed) because they both give this curry a savory yet sweet flavor. 

Ridge gourd curry goes best with rotis but tastes equally good with rice.  It is spicy and colorful. Ridge gourd is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and calories that aids in weight loss. Ridge gourd juice is used to heal jaundice and to strengthen the immune system against any infection. 

You can try other ridge gourd recipes on my blog like

Ridge gourd Peel Chutney

MORE GRAVY RECIPES ARE LINKED BELOW

Sprouted Moth bean (matki curry)

Soya chunks Aloo kurma

Mushroom kurma

Spicy mushroom

Prep  time	Cooking time	Serves
10 mins	20 mins	4  persons

Recipe Course: Side dish

Recipe type: South Indian cuisine

Ingredients Ridge gourd – 4 no’s Onion -1 no Tomato – 3 no’s Garlic – 5 cloves Red chilli powder -2 tsp Coriander powder -2 tsp Turmeric powder -1 tsp Methi seeds powder – ¼ tsp Jaggery powdered -1 tsp Fennel seeds – 1 tsp Salt – to taste Coriander leaves -5 sprigs Seasonings Cooking oil – 1 tbsp. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp Cumin seeds  -1 tsp Curry leaves -2 sprigs Dry red chilli -2 no’s Hing – pinch

Method

1.Peel ridge gourds using a peeler, wash and chop into small pieces. 

2.Chop onion, coriander and keep other items aside.

3.Heat oil in a pan on medium flame, add mustard seeds and let it crackle.Add the asafetida powder, curry leaves and red chilli and let it splutter. 

4. Now roughly pound the garlic cloves using a pestle and mortar and add it to the pan and sauté until the garlic turns golden.Add the finely chopped onion and sauté until it turns translucent. 

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté well. 

6. Now, add the cubed ridge gourds, mix well and let the ridge gourd cook in its own juices for 5 minutes.

7. Once the ridge gourd is cooked, add the jaggery, fennel seeds and roasted fenugreek seeds powder and mix well.

8. To this add the red chilli, coriander, turmeric, season with salt and sauté until the oil separates out.

9. Adjust consistency of the gravy to suit your needs. I usually like to make it on the thicker side. 

10. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Stir well until well combined, cover with lid and cook again for 2 minutes over medium heat.

11.Let it simmer for another 5 minutes, once the gravy becomes thick switch off the flame. 

Serving suggestions

Pulkas or parathas 

Steamed rice

Notes

• Adjust spice levels to suit your taste.
• If you do not have roasted methi powder, you omit it OR add 1/4 tsp of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) when sautéing the onions.