Peerkangai Thol Chutney / Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney Recipe
Peerkangai Thol Chutney is a Delicious South Indian Chutney recipe using Ridge Gourd Skin or Peel. Healthy and loaded with fibre, this chutney makes a great side or accompaniment to breakfast and main course rice dishes.
Equipment
- Mixer Grinder
Ingredients
- 1 cup Ridge Gourd Peel or Skin (Peerkangai Thol) roughly chopped 1 cup is 200 ml
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 tsp Chana Dal or Bengal Gram Dal 1 tsp is 5 ml
- 1 tsp Urad Dal
- 2 nos. Whole Red Chillies (Byadgi) Check Notes
- 1/3 cup Freshly Grated Coconut 1/3 cup is 80 ml measurement
- 1 nos. Marble size tamarind ball
- 1/2 tsp Jaggery Check Notes
- Water as required to grind into chutney consistency + 1 tbsp for Cooking the Peels
- salt to taste
- INGREDIENTS FOR TEMPERING
- 1/2 tsp Urad Dal
- 1/8 tsp Mustard Seeds or Rai
- 2-3 nos. Whole Red Chillies I have used pondy chillies
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- a Pinch of Asafoetida or Hing
Instructions
- Wash and Peel the Ridge Gourd, Turai or Peerkangai.
- Roughly chop the Peerkangai into pieces (easy to grind)
- Heat a pan, add oil, chana Dal, Urad dal and Whole red chillies.
- Saute until the dals have browned a bit and the chillies have crisped up
- Add the chopped peerkangai pieces to the pan, mix well. Add a tblsp of water so that the bottom of the pan doesn't burn and the peerkangai thol softens a bit.
- Once the Peerkangai has softened a bit, switch off the flame, add grated coconut, tamarind and jaggery. Keep aside for cooling.
- Once the ingredients have cooled, transfer to a chutney jar, add salt to taste and grind it into a chutney consistency. You can add water accordingly. Keep it slightly thick in consistency.
- Once the chutney has ground, prepare for tempering by heating a small pan with some oil.
- Add some mustard seeds, Urad dal and whole red chillies. Once the mustard crackles add the tempering to the chutney, mix well and serve immediately.
Notes
- The Peerkangai Thol or Ridge Gourd Skin remains fresh in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Avoid packing in a box as it forms fungus easily. Keep it open in a tray or small plate inside the refrigerator. I usually collect peels over 2-3 days and then make a big batch of chutney.
- The Whole Red Chillies used are Byadgi variety which lends a lovely colour to the chutney. You can add kashmiri whole red chillies for colour in case bydagi is not available. Alternatively, use a spicy variety too, if you like.
- Adding jaggery is optional but highly recommended when tamarind is involved in a recipe to cut down the acidity. I have used organic jaggery and usually I have to add slightly more than normal jaggery for sweetness. You can adjust the quantity accordingly.
- You can make this chutney without coconut too by following all the steps and skipping the coconut entirely. That sort of chutney tastes best with rice and main course dishes (a Kootu, poriyal or sambar combo with rice) or Curd rice too.
- We use Sesame Oil for our cooking and especially for such chutney varieties as it adds both flavor and aroma. You can add vegetable oil too.
- The shelf life of this chutney is 3-4 days in refrigerator.
- This Chutney Recipe is Vegan but not Gluten Free as it contains a pinch of asafoetida.