Stuffed Ridgegourd

Stuffed Ridgegourd


Of the many hard to come by vegetables in the region I live in, ridgegourd is one. I have written about this wonderful vegetable in a previous post. One day when I was pretty aimlessly browsing the internet I came across many stuffed ridgegourd recipes and then I thought I should make some myself. During my recent visit to England I managed to get hold of some of these goodies and first thing I tried after returning home was stuffed ridgegourd. My husband is usually not very fond of such stuffed vegetables so it was pretty much me that I was cooking for. I used 2 ridgegourds while the filling could yield 3-4 large ridgegourds. I was left with extra filling which I later used with chayote squash. I had no problem finishing off all that I made as it was really tasty.

2 tablespoons peanuts, roasted
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 onion, chopped
3 dry red chillies
Piece of ginger
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Asafoetida
3-4 ridgegourds
Cooking oil

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the onions for couple of minutes

Add the coriander seeds and red chillies and fry for couple of minutes

Add the ginger and sesame seeds and fry until aromatic

Keep aside and grind to paste along with curry leaves, salt, turmeric powder and peanuts

Peel the ridgegourd and cut into about 1.5 inch long pieces. Try to scoop some of the seeds out using a bread knife so you make some room for the stuffing

Fill the ridgegourds with the stuffing. You can smear the left over filling on the vegetable

Heat some oil and add mustard seeds and once they crackle, add turmeric powder and asafoetida. Add the stuffed veggies and sprinkle some salt, cook covered until done (about 20-25 minutes)

 

Serve with rice or chapatti