A HIGH yielding ridge
gourd (Luffa acutangula)
variety, with
medium-sized fruits, has
been developed by the
scientists at the
department of Olericulure, College of
Horticulture of the
Kerala Agricultural
University (KAU) at
Vellanikkara.
Developed through single
plant selection from
local collections from
Cherthala, the new
variety is ideally
suited for growing in
the warm humid tropics
of Kerala, especially
Thrissur, Palakkad and
Ernakulam districts.
Make Some
Indian Recipies with
Ridge Gourd Seeds
I use to make bottle
gourd with chana dal..
This time I replaced
bottle gourd with
ridge gourd and it
came out very tasty
side dish :).
Ingredients:
Sufficient For Two
People
350 gm Ridge Gourd
cut into small
pieces
1 Cup chana dal
4-5 Red dry chilies
1 Medium sized onion
finely chopped
1 Tsp ginger-garlic
paste
1 Tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 Red chili powder
1/2 coriander powder
1/2 Turmeric powder
1/8 Tsp garam masala
powder
2 Tblsp green
coriander leave
finely chopped
A pinch of
asafoetida
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying
Method :
1. Heat Oil in a
pan, add mustard
seeds, after it
splutters, add chana
dal and urad dal.
2. Once they are
done, add green
chillies, curry
leaves, asafoetida
and ridge gourd
pieces.
3. Fry till done and
leave to cool. Grind
in the mixie with
salt, tamarind,
jaggery, coriander,
coconut and little
water to a smooth
paste.
Turia is a tropical
plant believed to
have originated in
India. Fruits vary
in size and may be
oblong or
club-shaped with
dark green or green colour.
Growing from 16cm to
60cm in length and
2.5cm to 5cm in
diameter, it
resembles a cucumber
with 10 distinct
ribs and may be
straight or curved.
The skin is green
and tough and the
flesh inside,
creamy-white with
black or ivory
seeds.
Turia may be fried,
boiled, stuffed,
dried, and pickled.
Turia may be used in
much the same way as
courgettes.
Features
High yield potential
* Crop Bottle gourd
* Hybrid Raja
* Days I Pick 55-60
* Fruit length 15-20
* Fruit weight 60-80
* Flesh color White
* Remarks High yielder
How to Make Ridge Gourd
Chutney
1. Cut the ridge gourd into
2 pieces or 3 so that is a
manageable size to work with.
Peel the skin using a hand
peeler. If the vegetable is
fresh, then it's not so
difficult to peel but some
parts
of the skin may be dry and
therefore a little tough to
peel. But keep at it! I find it
easier to drag the peeler right
down the ridge.
2. After peeling, slice the
ridge gourd in half lengthwise.
If the ridge gourd is a little
older, there may be big,
palpable seeds on the inside
which should be removed.
3. Dice the ridge gourd into
small cubes.
4. Heat about 1 tspn. oil in a
large skillet. Add the urad daal
and red chilies and fry for a
few minutes until the urad daal
is golden being careful to not
let it burn.
5. Add the cubed ridge gourd and
shower with about 1 tspn. to
salt. Cook for about 20 minutes
until the ridge gourd starts to
look translucent and cooked
through.
6. After allowing to cool, add
the entire mixture plus the
coconut to the blender and blend
without adding an extra water
(the ridge gourd will give off a
lot of water as it cooks and
this should be enough for
blending) until you have a paste
like consistency.
7. Meanwhile, pop about 1 tspn.
of mustard seeds in the same
skillet. Add the paste back to
the skillet with the mustard
seeds. Mix in tamarind paste.
8. Continue cooking on low heat
for about 5 minutes - if the
chutney is too watery cook until
a smooth, thick-ish consistency
is reached.
9. Mix with warm rice until the
rice is well coated with chutney
and enjoy.
* You can use grated fresh
coconut instead of coconut
powder, but adding coconut is
optional altogether.
e
oblong or
club-shaped with
dark green or green colour.
Growing from 16cm to
60cm in length and
2.5cm to 5cm in
diameter, it
resembles a cucumber
with 10 distinct
ribs and may be
straight or curved.
The skin is green
and tough and the
flesh inside,
creamy-white with
black or ivory
seeds.
parts
of the skin may be dry and
therefore a little tough to
peel. But keep at it! I find it
easier to drag the peeler right
down the ridge.
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