Peerkangai skin Thogayal

Commonly known as  Beerakai in Telugu, peerkangai in Tamil and torai/dodka in Hindi ,it has always been one of my favorite  .I grew up eating this vegetable and never heard of a dish made out of something that my grandma would probably throw away -yes it's skin .This recipe is borrowed from a good neighbor back in India to whom I will always be thankful.

          Ingredients

• Skin of 1ridge gourd 
• Urud dal-1tbsp
• Coconut -2 tbsp
• Green chillies -as per taste 
• Tamarind -about 1/2 tsp(optional)
• Whole cumin -1tsp
• Oil-1tsp
• Salt-as per taste

           Method

•  Heat one tsp of oil in a pan and add the urud dal ,fry till golden brown
• Add  cumin and the green chillies ,sauté.
• Add the peeled skin of ridge gourd and sauté until soft.
• Add salt. 
• Let cool and transfer to a blender along with the coconut and tamarind.
• Make a paste with the help of little water .
• Temper with curry leaves and mustard seeds if desired.

  This goes great with rice,chapatti and especially with rasam,The nutty flavor sets it apart from all the other dips, which will make everyone ask you the same question-what's in it?.
I hope you find this recipe useful.

Thank you for visiting my blog .  

Mint Thogayal

Hello friends,
Welcome to my summer collection !.This season I promise you lots of healthy and cool recipes .Lets start with mint thogayal which is an excellent condiment for all time ,it can be served with snacks, tiffin ,chapati or rice.

INGREDIENT :

• fresh mint leafs 2 bunches .
• tomato-1 large 
• garlic clove 2 
• green chillies to taste 
• whole cumin 1/2 tbs 
• urad dal -2 tbs or almonds 
• coconut- 1/4 cup
• salt as per taste 
• oil-1 tsp 

METHOD:

1. Rinse the mint and keep aside .
2. Chop the tomatoes ,the garlic and the green chilies .
3. Take a pan and add oil ,when hot add the urud dal and fry untill they turn golden brown.
4. Add the green chilies and the garlic. 
5. Add the whole cumin and cook till the raw smell goes away .
6. Now add the tomato and salt ,cook till the tomatoes are soft .
7. Finally add the mint leaves and cook just until they start wilting .
8. Let cool and blend with the coconut using a little water to make a thick paste .
9. Done .enjoy with almost anything from chips to chapati .

Here is a quick video tutorial :

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