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 Kerala-style parotta, 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!

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Jump to:

• 🥰Why you are going to adore the ever-loving heck outta this recipe
• 🥒Everything you didn’t even know you wanted to know about Peerkangai!
• 🧈Notable ingredients in this recipe
• ➡️Learn sattvic vegan Indian recipes with me!
• 🚂Toot Toot Substitutions
• 🛕Making this dish for Ekadashi
• 📖Step-by-step instructions
• 💡Serving Ideas
• 🫕Make this in a pressure cooker or instant pot!
• 🫙Storage
• 🤷‍♀️FAQ
• ✌️Other Indian dishes that go great with this:
• In the mood for other super good vegan recipes?
• Peerkangai Kootu: South Indian Ridge Gourd Curry

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

• Low fat: The base curry is actually completely fat-free.  There is only oil in the tadka (the fried spices and herbs that go on top)
• Low in calories: Ridge gourd is a low-calorie vegetable, making it a great choice for anyone who is watching their weight.
• Easy to make ekadashi friendly: If you make this without the dal, this can be a fantastic prep for Ekadashi!
• Completely sattvic: With no onions or garlic, this recipe is suitable for devotees and yogis looking for dishes that are suitable for bhoga offerings.

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

Ridge gourd goes by so many freaking names! In part, this is because India, where it is most often used in cooking has so many spoken dialects.   

Here are some of the other common names for ridge gourd:

• English: Chinese okra, angled luffa, vegetable sponge
• Hindi: Turai, Turiya, Jhinga, Ghisoda
• Tamil: Peerkangai, Beerakaya
• Telugu: Beerakaya, Turai
• Kannada: Heerekai, Hirekai
• Malayalam: Peermulanga, Peechinga
• Bengali: Jhingey, Jhinga
• Gujarati: Tori, Turiya
• Marathi: Dodka, Shira, Shevga
• Punjabi: Jhinga, Tori
• Urdu: Turiya, Turai

Ridge gourd is a highly nutritious vegetable that is loaded with health benefits. Here are some of the key benefits of ridge gourd:

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.

India and Bangladesh have a variety of SUPER-good ridge gourd preps:

👉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. 

👉In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ridge gourd chutney (Beerakaya pachadi) is a popular side dish that is often served with rice. The chutney is made by blending cooked ridge gourd with tamarind, jaggery, chilies, and other spices.

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

👉Peerkangai Thogayal is a popular South Indian dish that is typically served as a side dish or a condiment to accompany rice or roti. It is a chutney-like preparation made with ridge gourd, lentils, coconut, and a variety of spices. 

👉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.

Ridge gourd is a versatile and nutritious vegetable that is enjoyed throughout the country and is a popular ingredient in many traditional Indian dishes. Try it first by making this ridge gourd kootu, and become a fan for life!

🧈Notable ingredients in this recipe

• Byadgi chilies: Byadgi 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.
• Ridge gourd:  I wrote a whole section in this blog post to give you all of the juicy, delicious facts about this wonderful veggie in case it is new to you! That section is just above this one if you are looking for it.⬆️
• Asafoetida: Asafoetida, 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!

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

➡️Learn sattvic vegan Indian recipes with me!

Did you know I taught a really fun online class on my favorite sattvic Indian cuisine? The class includes a whole bunch of classic dishes that are delicious, nourishing, and cause no harm to animals! The recording and recipes are available for purchase, and I can't wait for you to make and love the recipes.

🚂Toot Toot Substitutions

There are a couple of ingredients that you swap out if you can’t find them for this recipe.

In place of the ridge gourd you can use:

1. Bottle gourd (lauki or sorakkai) - This is a popular substitute for ridge gourd as it has a similar texture and mild flavor.
2. Zucchini or summer squash - These versatile vegetables make a good substitute for ridge gourd in kootu as it has a mild flavor and a similar texture.
3. Cucumber - Cucumber can also be used in kootu as a substitute for ridge gourd as it has a similar texture and a mild flavor.  Not everyone is a fan of cooked cucumber, but you do you!

In place of the split moong dal you can use:

1. Split Toor Dal: Also known as pigeon peas, split toor dal has a similar cooking time and texture to split moong dal. It is commonly used in Indian cuisine to make dals, curries, and soups.
2. Split Urad Dal: Split urad dal, also known as black gram dal, is another dal that cooks similarly to split moong dal. It has a creamy texture and mild flavor and is commonly used in South Indian cuisine to make dosas, idlis, and vadas.
3. Split red lentils (A.K.A. Masoor Dal): Split red lentils, cook in a similar amount of time to moong dal and are readily available in the United States and Europe.

If you are unable to find Byadgi chilies, there are a few other dried red chilies you can use:

1. Kashmiri chilies: These are another variety of dried red chilies that are commonly used in Indian cuisine. They have a similar mild to medium heat level and deep red color as Byadgi chilies.
2. Arbol chilies: Arbol are a bit spicier and, in my opinion, less interesting tasting that Byadgi. But using 2-3 of them in this recipe in place of the Bayadgis will do the trick.
3. Ancho chilies: These are dried poblano peppers that have a mild, slightly sweet flavor with a hint of smokiness. They are actually one of my favorite dried chilies for Central and South American cooking. They have a similar smoky flavor profile to Byadgi chilies, but the problem is, they are freaking huge.   Only use one if you are using Anchos for this recipe. 

🛕Making this dish for Ekadashi

Ekadashi is a Sanskrit word that literally means "the eleventh" (eka = one, dasha = ten). It refers to the eleventh day of each lunar fortnight in the Hindu calendar. There are two Ekadashis in each lunar month, which means there are 24 Ekadashis in a year. In some years, an extra month may be added to the lunar calendar, which means there could be an additional two Ekadashis, making the total number 26.

On Ekadashi, many Hindus, especially Vaisnavas, observe dietary and sensory fasting in order to devote more time and energy to spiritual practice. There are many different standards of Ekadashi Vrata (the vow of sense/self-control associated with Ekadashi). Some strict sadhakas go as far as observing Nirjala Ekadadhi (nir = without/away from jala = water) where one fasts for the day without even water.  What is most common though, is fasting from grains and legumes. Some accepted grains for Ekadashi include buckwheat and sama (barnyard millet).

To make Peerkangai Kootu suitable for ekadashi:

👉Ensure your asafoetida powder does not contain wheat starch in it.

👉The recipe calls for coconut oil already which is suitable for ekadashi. Do not substitute soy oil, or vegetable oil (which is often just a different name for oil from soy).

👉Replace the moong dal in this recipe with an equal amount of buckwheat groats, or simply an additional ⅔ cup of chopped peeled ridge gourd.

👉Use ground cashews in place of chana dal in the ground mixture.

👉Leave the urad dal out of the tadka, or replace it with a tablespoon of ground cashew.

What is most important for observing Ekadashi Vrata is not the level of renunciation, but using that time and focus away from sense enjoyment, to dedicate the time to spiritual matters!

📖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.

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

💡Serving Ideas

This is a wonderful prep to include in a thali platter! I often serve it alongside vegan butter chicken, masoor dahl, or arhar dal, Kerala-style parotta,, veg. biryani, or other South Indian rice preps like bisi bela bath.

🫕Make this in a pressure cooker or instant pot!

👉Instructions for making Peerkangai Kootu in an instant pot:

1. Soak the moong dal in clean water for 20 minutes as directed.
2. Drain and rinse the soaked dal under cold running water.
3. Place the dal in the Instant Pot along with the chopped ridge gourd, turmeric, dried chilies, sugar, salt, and water.
4. Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
5. 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.
6. When the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure manually.
7. Open the lid and stir in the ground spices.
8. Heat coconut oil in a separate saucepan over medium heat.
9. 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.
10. 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.
2. In a pressure cooker, add the moong dal, chopped ridge gourd, turmeric, dried chilies, sugar, salt, and water.
3. Close the pressure cooker lid and cook on high heat until the first whistle.
4. Reduce the heat and let it cook for another 6-8 minutes or until the dal and ridge gourd are completely soft.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the spice powder by grinding coconut, chana dal, cumin, and peppercorns in a spice grinder or blender.
6. When the dal and ridge gourd are cooked, stir in the ground spices.
7. 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.
8. Place the Peerkangai Kootu in an attractive serving dish, spoon the tadka on top, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

🫙Storage

Peerkagai Kootu is a great option for meal prep for school or work because it stays fresh for up to 4 days if stored and reheated properly!  here’s everything you ever wanted to know about that:

1. Over the course of thirty minutes, let the kootu cool to room temperature before storing it.
2. Transfer the kootu to an airtight container and seal it tightly.
3. Ideally, store the tadka in a separate container, so that you can spoon it on top of the curry when it is reheated.
4. Store the kootu in the refrigerator for up to four days.

🔥Reheating on the stovetop:

1. Remove the kootu from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
2. Transfer the kootu to a saucepan and add a splash of water or vegetable stock to thin it out.
3. Heat the kootu over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is heated through.

☢️Reheating in a microwave:

1. Remove the kootu from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
2. Transfer the kootu to a microwave-safe dish and cover it with a lid or microwave-safe plastic wrap.
3. Microwave the kootu on high for 1-2 minutes or until heated through, stirring once in between.
4. Remove the kootu from the microwave and sprinkle the stored tadka on top of it.
5. Microwave the kootu for another 30 seconds or until the tadka is heated through.

🤷‍♀️FAQ

✌️Other Indian dishes that go great with this:

These are some of my favey dishes to serve with this:

In the mood for other super good vegan recipes?

Of course you are! Try these:

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