Peerkangai Kootu: South Indian Ridge Gourd Curry

Peerkangai Kootu is an easy-to-prepare nutritious curry made with tender ridge gourd, moong dal, coconut, and a fragrant blend of spices. This is going to absolutely upgrade your meal prep, because it’s nourishing as heck, and a lower-carb alternative to dal.

This sattvic South Indian dish is not only incredibly flavorful and satisfying but it's also packed with essential vitamins and minerals, making it the perfect choice for anyone looking to nourish their body and soul with a delicious and wholesome meal. This dish is also completely gluten-free, providing the asafoetida you use doesn’t contain wheat starch.

Peerkangai Kootu is a perfect accompaniment to your my vegan butter chicken, masoor dahl, veg. biryani, or kathal ki sabji, as it adds a burst of flavor and mooooore veggies! I am actually in full-on LOVE with ridge gourd, and this particular recipe has become a standard in my house any time I want to fill out a thali with more veggies

Grab your favorite pot, instant pot, or pressure cooker, and get ready to have the best ridge gourd party of your life!

🥰Why you are going to adore the ever-loving heck outta this recipe

🌱Lean and Green: Indulge guilt-free in this recipe as the base curry is entirely fat-free, with just a hint of oil in the tadka, bringing you a low-fat delight. It also just happens to be gluten-free!

🥗Calorie-Conscious Contener: For those mindful of their calorie intake, rejoice! Ridge gourd, the star of this dish, is a low-calorie vegetable, ensuring a light and wholesome meal.

🙅‍♀️🌾Ekadashi Ease: Looking for an Ekadashi-friendly option? Simply omit the dal in this recipe, and voila! You have a fantastic preparation aligning perfectly with Ekadashi requirements.

🕉️ Sattvic Serenity Embrace the purity of this dish—completely sattvic with no onions or garlic. Ideal for devotees and yogis seeking dishes suitable for bhoga offerings, bringing a sense of tranquility to your culinary experience.

🥒Everything you didn’t even know you wanted to know about Peerkangai!

1. Rich in vitamins and minerals: Ridge gourd is a great source of essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and iron.
2. High in dietary fiber: Ridge gourd is rich in dietary fiber, which can help improve digestion, prevent constipation, and promote satiety.
3. Low in calories: Ridge gourd is low in calories, especially when cooked by steaming or boiling, as it is in this recipe.
4. Anti-inflammatory properties: Ridge gourd contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that may help reduce inflammation in the body.
5. Helps control blood sugar: Ridge gourd has been shown to have blood sugar-lowering properties, making it a great choice for people with diabetes or those at risk of developing the condition.
6. Supports heart health: Ridge gourd is rich in potassium, a mineral that is important for heart health, as well as fiber, which may help lower cholesterol levels.

🌶️ Notable ingredients in this recipe

Byadagi chilies

Byadagi chilies are a variety of dried red chili peppers grown in the Indian state of Karnataka. They are known for their deep red color, mild to medium heat, and absolutely delightful fruity flavor with a hint of smokiness. You can substitute with arbol chilies or Kashmiri chilies.

Asafetida

Asafetida, also known as hing, is a pungent spice commonly used in Indian cuisine. It is made from the resin of the Ferula plant and has a strong, sulfurous aroma when raw, but when cooked it adds a savory, umami flavor to dishes. It is often used as a substitute for garlic and onion in sattvic and Jain cooking.  I recommend using powdered asafoetida rather than the hard-to-measure block of resin form. Some brands of powdered asafoetida contain wheat starch to prevent it from clumping up.  So if you are gluten-free, watch out for that!

Ridge gourd

Ridge gourd goes by a zillion freaking names across different languages and regions! In English, it's known as Chinese okra, angled luffa, or vegetable sponge. In Hindi, you might hear it referred to as Turai, Turiya, Jhinga, or Ghisoda. In Tamil, it goes by Peerkangai or Beerakaya, while in Telugu, you'll find it as Beerakaya. Kannada speakers call it Heerekai or Hirekai, and in Malayalam, it's known as Peermulanga or Peechinga. Bengali names include Jhingey and Jhinga, while in Gujarati, it's Tori or Turiya. Marathi speakers may use Dodka, Shira, or Shevga, and in Punjabi, it's referred to as Jhinga or Tori. In Urdu, you might hear it called Turiya.

See the recipe card at the bottom of this page for the complete list of ingredients and their quantities.

📖Step-by-step instructions

You wanna see how this yummy thing gets made? I will walk you through the whole process. Or you can follow along with the easy-to-print recipe card towards the bottom of this page.

Step 1

Soak the dal in clean water for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse the soaked dal in a mesh strainer under cold running water.  Spread the dal out on a baking pan to pick through it and make sure no pebbles or foreign matter are present.

Step 2

Place the moong dal, water, turmeric, dried chilies, and fresh minced chili into a pot and bring the up to a boil over a high flame.  Allow the dal to cook for 6 minutes to start to soften.   

Step 3

Peel and cut the ridge gourd into 1 ½ centimeter pieces.

Step 4

Add the chopped ridge gourd, sugar, and salt.  Cover the pot and lower the flame to a simmer.   Cook the contents of the pot for 10-15 minutes until peekangai and dal are completely soft.

Step 5

While the dal and peerkangai are cooking, place the coconut, chana dal, cumin and peppercorns into a spice grinder or blender and grind into powder.

Step 6

When the contents of the pot are soft, stir in the ground spices.

Step 7

Prepare the tadka in a separate pot.  Heat coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  After 60 seconds when the oil is hot, stir in the mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, dried chilies, ginger, and curry leaves.  Turn the flame down to low, and allow the spices and dal to slowly let their flavor out into the hot oil for ten minutes.

Step 8

To serve, place the kootu in an attractive serving bowl and spoon the tadka on top.  Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

🔥Serve it with your favorite Indian pickles such as mango, amla, green chili, or carrot pickles.

💡Serving Ideas

This is a wonderful prep to include in a thali platter! I often serve it alongside chana masala, Punjabi-style dry bhindi, arhar dal tadka, or other South Indian sabjis like aviyal, phool makhana sabji, or saag aloo. It's great over fragrant coconut rice or basmati pilau.

Bread anyone? Word up, you are gonna want to eat this with some classics like coriander-crusted, potato stuffed kulcha, msemen, or Kerala-style parotta.

Having some chaats to go alongside your ridgegourd curry might be just the ticket. Serve it with onion bhaji, medhu vadai, or shakarkandi ki chaat!

🥒Other gourd and peerkangai recipes:

👉In various states in South India, mashed ridge gourd is cooked with toor dal (do check out my toor dal recipe), curry leaves, tomatoes, tamarind, and other ingredients to make Peekangai Sambar. 

👉Turai ki sabji is a light and flavorful peerkangai curry, cooked with aromatic spices like cumin and coriander.

👉Olan is a great gourd sabji made with black eyed peas and coconut milk

👉Lauki ki sabji is an addictive Indian bottle gourd curry.

👉Parval Sabji is made with little adorable pointed gourds.

👉One classic Bengali dish using ridge gourd is Jhinge Aloo Posto - where peeled ridge gourd, is cooked with potatoes, and a poppy seed paste.

👉Turai ki sabji is a totally different dish (without dal in it) that is mae with ridge gourd.

👉In Maharashtra, ridge gourd chutney (Dodkyachi chutney) is a popular dish that is often served with bhakri or chapati. The chutney is made by blending cooked ridge gourd with roasted peanuts, chilies, and spices.

🤷‍♀️Recipe FAQs

✌️Other Indian dishes that go great with this:

❤️Love this recipe? It helps me out greatly if you leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below and maybe even leave me a lovey-dovey comment too!

Peerkangai Kootu: South Indian Ridge Gourd Curry

Cook up a delicious and healthy dish with this classic Tamil recipe for Peerkangai Kootu. Made with urad dal and ridge gourd in a light and creamy coconut-based gravy, and topped with a curry leaf tadka, this vegan and gluten-free South Indian dish is sure to make your taste buds do the happy dance.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 7 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 37 minutes minutes

Servings: 3

Course: Curry

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Peerkangai

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Adam Sobel

Cost: $6

1x2x3x

Equipment

• pressure cooker
• instant pot
• Dutch oven

Ingredients

• Peerkangai
• ¼ cup yellow split moong dal
• 1 ⅓ cups water
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 dried chilies Byadgi or Arbol
• 1 small green chili minced
• 3.5 cups ridge gourd peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar jaggery, coconut sugar, or evaporated cane juice
• 1 teaspoon salt

To grind:

• ⅓ cup dried shredded coconut either natural or refined are both fine
• 1 tablespoon roasted chana dal
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns

Tadka (seasoned oil topping):

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon split urad dal optional
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon asafetida
• 2 dried chilies Byadgi or Arbol
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 10 curry leaves
• Fresh cilantro leaves to garnish

Instructions

• Soak the moong dal in clean water for 20 minutes.
• After soaking, drain and rinse the dal in a mesh strainer under cold running water to remove any impurities.
• Spread the dal on a baking pan and carefully check for any pebbles or foreign matter.
• Put the moong dal, water, turmeric, dried chilies, and fresh minced chili in a pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, continue to cook for 6 minutes to start softening the dal.
• Add chopped ridge gourd, sugar, and salt to the pot. Cover the pot and lower the flame to a simmer. Add additional water if it is running low. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the peekangai and dal are soft. 
• While the dal is cooking, use a spice grinder or blender to grind coconut, chana dal, cumin, and peppercorns into powder.
• Once the contents of the pot are soft, stir in the ground spices.
• Prepare the tadka in a separate pot. Heat coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. After 60 seconds, add mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, dried chilies, ginger, and curry leaves. Lower the flame to low, and allow the spices and dal to slowly release their flavors into the hot oil for ten minutes.
• To serve, transfer the kootu to an attractive serving bowl and spoon the tadka on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Notes

👉Instructions for making Peerkangai Kootu in an instant pot:

1. • Soak the moong dal in clean water for 20 minutes as directed.

• • Drain and rinse the soaked dal under cold running water.

• • Place the dal in the Instant Pot along with the chopped ridge gourd, turmeric, dried chilies, sugar, salt, and water.

• • Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.

• • While the dal and peerkangai are cooking, grind coconut, chana dal, cumin, and peppercorns in a spice grinder or blender to prepare the spice powder.

• • When the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure manually.

• • Open the lid and stir in the ground spices.

• • Heat coconut oil in a separate saucepan over medium heat.

• • Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, dried chilies, ginger, and curry leaves to prepare the tadka, and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant.

• • Place the Peerkangai Kootu in an attractive serving dish, spoon the tadka on top, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

👉Instructions for making Peerkangai Kootu in a pressure cooker:

1. • Soak the moong dal in clean water for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse the soaked dal under cold running water.

• • In a pressure cooker, add the moong dal, chopped ridge gourd, turmeric, dried chilies, sugar, salt, and water.

• • Close the pressure cooker lid and cook on high heat until the first whistle.

• • Reduce the heat and let it cook for another 6-8 minutes or until the dal and ridge gourd are completely soft.

• • Meanwhile, prepare the spice powder by grinding coconut, chana dal, cumin, and peppercorns in a spice grinder or blender.

• • When the dal and ridge gourd are cooked, stir in the ground spices.

• • In a separate pan, prepare the tadka by heating coconut oil, adding mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, dried chilies, ginger, and curry leaves, and sautéing for a few minutes until fragrant.

• • Place the Peerkangai Kootu in an attractive serving dish, spoon the tadka on top, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 800mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 393IU | Vitamin C: 81mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 3mg