Ridge Gourd - Peerkangai Kosumalli | Side Dish for Idiyappam

       Ridge Gourd-Peerkangai is known for its fibre content and cooling effects. I do kootu with this creeper in a way similar to cabbage kootu, other than that hmm... may be chutney with the skin/peels ,nothing much.How you guys use this vegetable?let me know in the comments section.

       My aunt makes gravy with ridge gourd.Its very easy and similar to kosumalli ,so i called it peerkangai kosumalli.Did i tell you kosumalli is very famous in chettinad?Yes! its best side dish for idli,dosa and idiyappam.If you want the kosumalli thick, add boiled mashed potatoes.You need to add more green chilies and little more tamarind alongside.

Some known facts :
    Ridge gourd also called luffa and is eaten tender/young.When it ripes, it gets very fibrous.Sometimes you must have struggled cutting the ripened peerkangai. Ripened ridge gourd is used in preparation of sponges/scrubs.
  Other names of ridge gourd include peechinga/poththanga/dodka/beerakaya/peerkankai in Indian languages and is called Chinese okra in mexican.
Health benefits of ridge gourd:

• Cures diabetics
• Cures constipation.
• Good for skin.
• Well known cooler.Studies shows that this cures jaundice ,study benefits here.

So how to make kosumalli?

                  Looking for finger licking sides ? check toordal chutney,Moongdal sambar,eggplant korma,Fresh spice sambar,Mushroom korma

                Ridge Gourd -Peerkangai Kosumalli | Side Dish for Idiyappam

                How to make kosumalli with ridge gourd -peerkangai

 Cuisine: Indian Category:Side Dish for Idiyappam,dosa,idli Yields:1 1/2 cups   Prep time:10 minutes Total time:10 minutes



Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium size peerkangai(edges peeled,cut and pressure cooked)/ridge gourd.
• 1 onion/vengayam.
• small gooseberry size tamarind/puli.
• 3 green chilies/pacha milagai.
• salt required.

To temper:

• 1 tsp oil/ennai.
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds/kadugu.
• 1/4 tsp jeera/cumin/jeeragam.
• 1/4 tsp urad dal/ulutham paruppu.
• few curry leaves/karuvepilai.

Method:

• Wash and peel the sharp edges/skin off ridge gourd/peerkangai.

• Cut in small pieces and pressure cook for a whistle.

• Cool and Grind to paste.

• chop onions and slit the green chilies.
• Extract juice out of tamarind by soaking it in 3-4 tbsp water.

How to make ridge gourd-Peerkangai kosumalli:

• Add 1 tsp oil to tava ,temper the oil with mustard .
• When the mustard splutters ,add jeera and urad dal.

• Add onions,green chilies when urad dal changes color.

• Saute it until it turns translucent.
• Add ground paste and tamarind extract.let it boil along with required salt as well.

• Let the gravy be in simmer for 5 minutes until all the spice and tamarind concentrates.
• Ridge gourd/peerkankai kosumalli ready.
• Serve it with idli,dosa ,idiyappam or other breakfast items.

Note:

• Keep the skin part except removing the sharp edges.Sometimes  i peel mst of the skin for making chutney.
• Kosumalli taste great when the tamarind concentration is little high along with matching spice level.
• I made a thin gravy make it thick with boiled ,mashed potatoes.
• Similar way you can make with brinjal/egg plant also that is the regular kosamalli.

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