Thuvayal/Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney

Thuvayal is a scrumptious addition to any south Indian meal. And this one is made all the more special because the main ingredient is ridge gourd (English)/ turai (Hindi)/ peerkangai (Tamil) peels!

⁠⁠Indian food is made up of many different styles of cooking. What also makes it special is the textures, tastes and variety in the plate, that totally pleases the palate.

Various types of chutneys, pickles, relishes and this kind of thuvayal are all part and parcel of a complete meal. ⁠⁠

Making the Thuvayal

The main ingredient here is the peel of the ridge gourd. So when you use he gourd, ensure you wash the skin thoroughly. Use the gourd for your vegetable dish.

You can use the skin on the same day, but there is something called an overdose of gourd! So you may want to do what I do!

Put the skin/peel itself on a clean plate. Let it dry out a bit. If the weather is hot and dry, this will take just a couple of hours. Else let it dry out in the fridge.

Use when you see it curling a bit.

Frying

The first step in the process is to fry the ingredients. For this, I use sesame oil for a genuine flavour of South India. You can use other oils, in case you cannot find sesame oil.

When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. They will immediately start to crackle. Do not let them burn. Keep the flame low.

Add the urad daal, the chilli, the curry leaves and the garlic clove.

Sauteing

Time to now add the onions and tomatoes. Note that these can be omitted. In fact, the entire recipe is very flexible, and you can leave out anything that you don’t have. It will still be a great thuvayal!

Add the peels. Fry well.

Add the coconut, the piece of tamarind and salt.

There is not need to get the colour changed, but there should be no moisture left.

That’s it! Grind and serve!

Ridge gourd Chutney/ Thuvayal

Recipe by Sheetal RabindranCourse: SidesCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Ingredients

• Ridge Gourd Peels from 250 g of the vegetable

• 2 tbsp chopped coconut

• 1 small onion, sliced

• 1 small tomato, chopped

• 1 tbsp sesame oil (or any other oil)

• 1 pod garlic

• 1 red chilli

• small piece of tamarind

• 1 tsp Urad daal (can add more for a nuttier flavour)

• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

• few curry leaves

• salt

Directions

• Heat oil in pan. Add the mustard seeds. Let them crackle.
• Add the urad daal, garlic and curry leaves.
• Now add onions, tomatoes and the peels. Fry well, for about 5 minutes on low flame.
• Add coconut pieces, tamarind and salt. Fry for 5 minutes more.
• Grind to coarse paste. Avoid water, just push the mixture down the jar and repeat till it is ground.

Notes

• In case you do not have any minor ingredient, you can leave it out.
• You can add peanuts, channa daal instead or with the urad daal.
• If you want to take this on a journey, omit the onions, tomatoes and the coconut. Add a tbsp more of oil, and increase the tamarind to 3 inches.