Peerkangai Thol Thogayal / Ridgegourd Skin Chutney

         Ridge gourd also known as Peerkangai or Chinese okra. It belongs to cucumber family, high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Whenever I find ridge gourd in my nearby store, will surely buy it and make sambar and with leftover skin , I will make thogayal / chutney. It's really nice idea of using skin without wasting it. It has lots of fiber and nutrition in it. This is very easy to make thogayal and tastes yumm...Best accompaniment for this thogayal are idly or dosa or rasam rice or plain white rice.


    Ingredients

          2/3 Cup of Ridge Gourd Skin
          2 Tbsp of Urad Dal
          1 Tsp of Bengal Gram / Channa Dal
          1 Tbsp of Dessicated Coconut Flakes
          2 Garlic Cloves
          2 - 3 Red Chillies
          Pinch of Asafoetida / Hing
          Tamarind - Blueberry/Small Gooseberry size
          Salt to Taste
          2 Tsp of Oil


    To Temper

          1 Tsp of Oil
          1/2 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
          1/2 Tsp of Urad Dal
          1 Sprig of Curry Leaves


    Method

• Wash the ridge gourd and peel the skin. Keep this aside.
• Heat a pan with oil, add red chillies and garlic cloves, saute for a min until garlic turns soft.
• Add urad dal and channa dal, fry for 1-2 mins until it changes light brown color.
• Add coconut flakes, asafoetida, ridge gourd skin, tamarind and salt, saute for 2 mins. Once it done, turn off the stove. Let it cool down for 5 mins.
• Transfer everything to a blender, and grind until mixture turns smooth. Transfer this to a bowl.
• Heat a pan with oil, add all the ingredients listed under " To Temper". After mustard seeds splutter, turn off the stove and transfer this to chutney. Mix well.
• Serve with dosa or idly or rasam rice.

    
   Tips

• Adjust spicy taste according to your taste buds.
• You can add green chillies instead of red chillies.
• You can also add little ginger for extra flavor.
• Store it in an airtight container and refrigerate, it will last for 2-3 days.

   Health Benefits of Ridge Gourd     

• The juice is used as a natural remedy for jaundice.
• Low in saturated light and cholesterol, high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• It has blood purifying properties.
• Good for skin, liver and increases immune system.
• Aids in weight loss.
• Cellulose in ridge gourd helps to overcome constipation problem.