Delicious Peechinga curry/ Ridge gourd Curryslightly sweet and spicy curry goes well with bowl of rice.
As I mentioned earlier, due to swelling in my hand and fingers along with pain, I went to a Rheumatology specialist. She suspect I am in beginning stage of Rheumatic Arthritis (RA), even though the first test done by family physician turned out to be negative. She prescribed for another set of blood work. Now I am in high dose of corticosteroids. Pain has comes down a lot, still have it. It is really daunting to hearing about RA. While reading I got a shock treatment already. My hubby still thinks I don’t have it and I hope he is right. I will not lose hope until the results comeback. My RA doctor told me as I am Indian, and use lot of spices, lentils in cooking I don’t need to change diet. Still needs to add extra dose of veggies, spices, beans which boost my immune system and can help to reduce inflammation. After coming back from the Dr. appointment, I made this Peechinga/ Ridge gourd curry for our dinner.
What is Ridge Gourd?
This Ribbed gourd, Ridge gourd, Luffa acutangula, Tori , peechinga is common vegetable used in India. The young fruit is about 2 feet which is dark green in color is used as vegetable, where as the mature ones are used as bath sponge. In ayurveda, this plants helps to reduce vitiated vata dosha(swelling or distention of the abdomen, rumbling sound of the intestines. ), pitta dosha, skin diseases, jaundice, splenomegaly, hemorrhoids, and general weakness. I believe in Ayurveda (natural medicine) as I am from the land where it is still practiced. Now with this pain I am turning more into it as I am afraid of side effect from the medication. I know for an immediate relief I have to stick to medicines prescribed by the doctors.
How to make Ridge Gourd Curry ?
First you need to peel the skin .Always use fresh Ridge gourd. You can make spicy curry with ridge gourd, as the ridge gourd makes the final curry little sweet. I like to add tomato, onion and ginger garlic along with spices. This curry goes well with any bread of your choice. It is easy to make give it a try. Here comes the recipe.
Peechinga curry/ Ridge gourd Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¾ teaspoon of salt or to taste
- 1 green chili
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 3 to mato
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- 1 large Ridge gourd/ Peechinga about 3 cup chopped when it is cut it into 2 inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon curry masala
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- First peel the skin of ridge gourd and cut it into 2 inch cubes and set aside.
- In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds.
- When mustard seeds starts pops add chopped onion and green chili and fry for about 6 minutes or until onion become translucent.
- Then add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- To this add spices and
- then add chopped tomato and fry until it become mushy.
- To this add chopped ridge gourd/ peechinga, salt and water cook until gravy thickens.
- Switch of the flame and enjoy with rice or roti or bread of your choice.
Nutrition
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
dilip augustine says
wish you get well. as humans we all need to go through pain and sufferings through our lives. specially as we age. your page has been bookmarked on my computer and i follow your instructions each time i cook this strange vegetable. never eat this in my lifetime. just since i saw your site i am cooking this often and my family likes it too. i have planted the seeds in my garden and i hope to have a harvest and good feed. Thank you swathi.
maha says
need patience to write a like this,mean very neatly,good pics that too one by one.I prefer collage mostly which is easy up load. urs is Best blog da..Even i cook this curry.very healthy.
padma says
Curry looks yummy dear:)....Take care of your health...you will be fine, the other test also will be negative..don't worry:)..Btw...I too make this curry:)
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
Swathi, so sorry you're in pain. I hope conclusive tests will reveal you have something that is only temporary. I have an older friend, much older than you, who has had RA for years. It has been slow moving, so that is good. She is a landscape painter. Will be thinking of you. ~ Your spicy gourd dish looks delicious!
Suja Manoj says
Yummy and healthy curry..looks perfect
Mullai Madavan says
Very nice homely touch, luv the peerkangai curry with pipping hot rice!
Suja says
Lovely curry and looks yummy !!!
Ritu Ahuja says
Take care swathi. Hope you recover soon. This curry dish looks lovely. Super yummy dear. 🙂
Sadaf Afshan says
My sister in law has RA since the age of 30 and I know that it can be a very painful condition. I hope your tests come out negative. The curry looks deligious.
Sundari says
delicious curry!! looks very tempting!!
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Don't worry Swathi, you will be fine ! 🙂
This ridge gourd Curry with tomatoes is a deadly combination. Loved it! 🙂
Nalini Somayaji says
very nice ridge gourd curry .goes well with almost all dishes..
Rafeeda says
Hope speedy recovery for you dear... when illness comes, we are forced to look into a lot of our habits... the curry looks delicious, I have only made peechinga with a coconut-thayir base for lunch...
Gloria says
looks very yummy dear....perfect with rotis
Subha says
Hope you feel better soon Swathi..Will definitely remember you in my prayers. Have a lot of fresh fruits and veggies everyday and I am sure you will be fine soon. By the way, the peechinga curry is looking awesome..I have never tried anything with this vegetable except for thogaiyal and love to try this curry now..Will let you know how it comes out.
farin ahmed says
Take care dear... Delicious curry.. my favourite
rebecca says
this looks tasty and so sorry prayers hope your ok
ramya says
get well soon dear.mom makes this one without ginger garlic paste and just adding chopped ginger only.perfect with ghee and rice
Swathi says
Thanks Ramya, next time I will try to make it as your mother's way.
Sathya @Mykitchenodyssey says
Take care of yourself swathi,With kids its really difficult,i know.The curry looks really delicious by the way.off late i am including a lot of ridge gourd in our diet.Do check for any recipes related to ridge gourd in my space.
Swathi says
Thanks Sathya, sure I will look it into the recipe.
tigerfish says
I love ridge gourd and always get them during summer when they are especially tender. I like how you cook it with spices and tomatoes.
Hope the pain has gone away by the time you read this. Continue having more spices and vegetables to cut down the inflammation.
Swathi says
Thanks , yes I am in search of veggies and spices to boost my immunity.
julie says
love this curry with rotis..looks yumm,Swathi...Do take care of yourself dear,Hope you get better soon 🙂
Hadia Lebanese Cuisine says
Get well soon, Swathi! I hope you nothing serious dear! Your Peechinga curry/ Ridge gourd Curry sounds so delicious! I am a big fan of Indian Cuisine!!Pinned, tweeted and shared on g+!
Swathi says
Thanks Haida, I feeling better waiting for final result.
traditionallymodernfood says
Looks delicious:-) pica are tempting
anu says
my all time fav
Cheers
Anu@RasA-svAda