Another Yummy Gourd Dish

This time it’s a traditional ridge gourd (turia: pronounced tu-ri-ya) curry. This is a curry made predominantly by Gujarati Indians, however many Indian sub-cultures have their own versions of ridge gourd dishes. Here is the recipe for how my Gujarati family cook turia.

Traditional Gujarati Turia Curry

Ingredients

4 small ridge gourd (turia), peeled and cubed
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 green chilli, minced
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and add the mustard seeds. Wait until they have popped and add the cumin, asafoetida, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chilli, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and sugar. Boil on medium for 5 minutes.

2. Add the ridge gourd, stir and either cook until tender or pressure cook for 5 minutes. Try to evaporate as much liquid from it as you can until you are left with quite a thick sauce (the gourd releases natural water whilst cooking so you won’t need to add any at any time).

3. Enjoy with…

Tip: Try to pick the thin ridge gourds as these are the ones that are still young and taste sweet. The big, fat ones are fibrous and full of seeds.