Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney (Peerkangkai Thol Tuvaiyal)

Tongue tickling peerkangkai thol tuvaiyal is ready to taste

I learnt this recipe about 10 years ago. One of my friends served this chutney when she invited me for lunch. The mix of five tastes I got from that chutney really caught my attention. From then on I had been trying to make this chutney until I perfected the recipe a few years ago. My mother-in-law who visited us here, was surprised to see me make this chutney as we generally tend to throw away the skin of the ridge gourd. The chutney goes well with Idli, Dosa, Rice with Rasam, and Chapati.

Main ingredients

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 10 min
Serving size: 4
Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients:

Cut the skin peels if they are too long,  easy to saute

• Ridge gourd peeled skin (Peerkangkai thol) - 2 cups 
• Urad dal - 1/2 cup
• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Hinge(Asafoetida) - small piece
• Green chillies - 3 nos (increase the number if you want it more spicy)
• Tamarind - size of a cherry
• Oil - 3 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Peel the skin from ridge gourd and if needed cut into smaller pieces.

Cooking:

1. In a skillet add 1 - 2 tsp of oil and saute the ridge gourd peels on medium heat until the raw smell of the peel is gone and the color changed. It takes about 5 minutes.

   

   Saute as directed

2. Set aside the sauteed peels.
3. Roast the urad dal also in medium heat until it changes to golden brown color and set it aside.
4. Roast the mustard seeds and set aside. 
5. Add 1 tsp of oil and roast the hinge(asafoetida) and tamarind.
6. Grind the urad dal, mustard, hinge, green chillies and tamarind coarsely.

   

   Grind the dal and spices first,  then add the sauteed ridge guard skin and grind

7. Add the sauteed ridge gourd peels, required amount of salt and grind. There is no need to add water as the peels have enough water. But if you find it difficult to grind the mixture, then add little water and grind.

   

   Enjoy the ridge gourd chutney with Idli

8. After a minute check for the consistency of the chutney. Its should not be too fine and pasty. We need to have a coarse texture. If you need to grind more, then run the mixie/blender for one more minute. Grind more if needed, keeping in mind to not make it a fine paste.
9. Ridge gourd chutney is now ready to be served.

Nutritional facts:

Ridge gourd is more nutritious than the flesh part of the vegetable. That is the reason sometimes it is cooked along with the skin. The green skin traps lot of anti-oxidants that is helpful

My favorite combo tomato rasam with peerkangkai chutney(thuvayal)

in protecting our body cells from being damaged. The vegetable as a whole is good blood purifier and skin cleanser. So if you would like to add some flesh part of the vegetable for the chutney feel free to add it to get additional health benefits. The urad dal and the peels are rich in fiber aiding digestion and easing constipation. Tamarind is not only rich in iron but combined with the peels keeps the liver healthy. Asafoetida aids the respiratory system. Green chillies with vitamin A helps to improve our eye sight.

Try the ridge gourd chutney with Idli or Dosa or Chapati and you will love it. I personally like the combination of tomato rasam with ridge gourd chutney, what a great taste!

You may also be interested in the following recipes:

Radish Leaves Poriyal (Mullangi Keerai Poriyal)

Cauliflower Stalk Curry - Kootu

Chana Dhal Curry Or Vada Curry