Devjani's Corner (Cook With Me): Ridge Gourd with Pigeon Peas/ Tori with Arhar Dal

Hello Everyone!

It is my pleasure to introduce to you to Devjani. She is a wife, mother, teacher, social worker, a gardening and cooking enthusiast, a globe trotter, a bundle of boundless energy and an extremely creative person. Over the years that I have known her, she has shared with me easy recipes, ideas to keep my kids creatively occupied, and a host of other tips and tricks around the home and beyond.

Today, she shares a recipe with you!

Devjani's Corner:


Sometime back I decided to cook only vegetables that are in season and those that are locally grown . That meant avoiding  off-season vegetables because they are loaded with preservatives and chemicals to last  the journey to the market.

So with the heat of Delhi summer I was face to face with lauki/bottle gourd , tinda/indian round gourd, tori/ridge gourd, parval/wax gourd, and bhindi.

This recipe tries to give a different character to 'plain jane' tori .


Ingredients:

1. Tori 1/2 kg
2. Small katori arhar dal/pigeon peas (split, without the husk) soaked for an hour
3. 2 Tomatoes chopped fine
4. 2 small onions thinly sliced
5. 1 inch piece of ginger grated
6. 2 green chillies chopped
7. Salt to taste
8. 1/2 tsp Haldi/turmeric,
9.  a wee bit of sugar,
10. 1 level tsp jeera powder (dry roasted)
11. Cooking oil

Method:

1. Do not peel the tori but scrape the surface as the skin gives a body to the dish.
2. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
3. Heat oil
4. Fry the sliced onion till light brown ... Do not over fry.
5. Put in the tomatoes first. 
   
6. When half cooked stir in rest of the ingredients except jeera powder. 
   
7. Cover and cook till done. There is no need to add any water, since the vegetable will release its own water through the cooking process. 
   
8. Season with jeera powder.
9. Serve with roti/Indian flat bread and raita as a side dish.

Bon Appetit!!