Turai ki sabji aka ridge gourd curry recipe is a vastly popular north Indian vegetarian recipe. It is a pure comfort food and is almost prepared in every north Indian household. Tori ki sabji is a spicy, flavoured curry where ridge gourd pieces are cooked in spicy onion-tomato gravy. It is mostly relished with Indian flat bread like rotis, parathas, phulkas and even rice items like steamed rice, jeera rice, pulao etc. It is a rapid recipe and a perfect dish for busy working days.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Health Benefits of ridge Gourd
How to make Turai ki sabzi (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is turai ki sabji?
Turai ki sabji is a Hindi name and it’s name explains the dish. Turai is the Hindi name of ridge gourd and sabji means curry. In short, turai ki sabji means a ridge gourd curry recipe.
But many of us don’t know about the backbencher vegetable Turai aka ridge gourd.
What is ridge gourd?
Ridge gourd is a popular vegetable which is frequently used in Indian cuisine. It is a green-coloured fleshy vegetable which is long in shape and has got a bland taste. It comes in two different varieties, one with a smooth surface and another with a ribbed surface. Ridge gourd is known by different names in different parts of India, like in Hindi it is known as turai or tori, in Bengali it is known as jhinge, in Tamil it is known as peerkangaai and in Telugu it is known as beerakaya.
About the recipe
Indian vegetarian recipes are famous for their exclusive taste, textures and flavours. Turai ki sabji is one of them. It is regularly prepared in India.
Turai ki sabji is a very simple and easy recipe. It is prepared with very common and limited ingredients and all the ingredients are regularly used in any Indian Kitchen pantry. The best part of the recipe is that it gets prepared very quickly without investing much time and effort.
The difficulty level of cooking this ridge gourd curry is very low. It is a full-proof recipe and perfect for beginners. Tori ki sabji is a complete life saviour for busy moms too. It is one of the most versatile curries that I have ever seen. You can pack it with parathas or rotis for your kid’s lunch box.
Ingredients for turai ki sabji
Ridge gourd aka turai: The primary ingredient of the recipe which provides a base to it.
Onion & Ginger-Garlic: These are the most common ingredients used to give texture and flavour to the curry.
Tomatoes: I have used chopped tomatoes for the recipe. It gives a nice flavour, taste and texture to the dish.
Green chillies & coriander leaves: Green chillies add a heaty taste and coriander leaves add a refreshing aroma to the dish.
Whole spices: I have used cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamoms and cloves for the tempering of the dish.
Ground spices: For the ground spices, I have used turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder. Each spice is equally important for the perfect flavour and taste of the turai ki sabji.
Salt: The basic ingredient of any savoury recipe which adds a salty taste to the dish.
Oil: Any cooking oil can be used to prepare the curry. I have used olive oil, but you can also use flavourless oil like vegetable oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil etc.
Water: It is used to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
Turai ki sabji with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. But before jumping into the recipe, I would like to share a few interesting facts about the recipe and its key ingredient ridge gourd.
Reasons behind the popularity of turai ki sabji
- It is vegan and gluten-free.
- It is one of the most versatile dishes which can easily pair up with flatbreads or rice items.
- It is a quick and easy dish which makes life easier during busy working days.
- It is a pure comfort food which gets prepared using very common and easily available ingredients.
Health benefits of Ridge Gourd
- Ridge Gourd is low in calories and an excellent source of losing weight.
- It is high in fibre which helps to get rid of constipation.
- It helps to control the blood sugar level of our body.
- It is also used as a detoxing agent.
- It is full of vitamins, zinc, manganese and iron. It can be a great addition to our regular diet.
How to make Turai ki sabzi?
To prepare the turai ki sabji, first, wash and cut all the veggies- ridge gourd, onion, tomato, coriander leaves and keep them aside.
Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add oil to the pan and let the oil become hot. Once the oil is hot, temper the whole spices – mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them to crackle.
Add chopped onions to the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 8-10 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste to the pan and cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for 2 minutes. Then add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for another 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
Add coriander powder, cumin powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on the lowest flame for another 2 minutes until the spices’ raw smell disappears.
Then add the sliced ridge gourd, green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 5-6 minutes. Stir in between if required.
Add water to the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it over a high flame until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame to low and cook it for 15 minutes.
Add garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it for a few seconds. Then add chopped coriander leaves and mix them well. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Many Indian curry recipe have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Baby corn masala
Mushroom potato curry
Palak matar
Aloo gobi
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 cup = 250 ml
- 4 ridge Gourds aka turai, peeled and sliced
- 1 large Onion, finely chopped
- 1 large Tomato, paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
- 2-3 green Chillies
- 4 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 3 Cardamoms
- 4 Cloves
- ¾ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ¾ teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup Water for gravy
- 1½ tablespoon Oil for cooking
Instructions:
- Wash and cut all the veggies- ridge gourd, onion, tomato, coriander leaves and keep them aside.
- Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 1½ tablespoons of oil to the pan and let the oil become hot.
- Once the oil is hot, temper the whole spices – ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms, 4 cloves and allow them to crackle.
- Add chopped onions to the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 8-10 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent.
- Add the 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste to the pan and cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for 2 minutes.
- Add salt, ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for another 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
- Add 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ¾ teaspoon cumin powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on the lowest flame for another 2 minutes until the spices’ raw smell disappears.
- Add the sliced ridge gourd, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 5-6 minutes. Stir in between if required.
- Add 1 cup water to the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it over a high flame until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame to low and cook it for 15 minutes.
- Add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it for a few seconds.
- Add 4 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves and mix them well.
- Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the turai ki sabji to a serving plate or in a serving bowl. Serve hot or warm to enjoy the best taste. Pair up the delectably healthy dish with Rice or chapatis and enjoy the comforting meal.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250 ml
- 4 ridge Gourds aka turai, peeled and sliced
- 1 large Onion, finely chopped
- 1 large Tomato, paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
- 2-3 green Chillies
- 4 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 3 Cardamoms
- 4 Cloves
- ¾ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ¾ teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup Water for gravy
- 1½ tablespoon Oil for cooking
Instructions
- Wash and cut all the veggies- ridge gourd, onion, tomato, coriander leaves and keep them aside.
- Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 1½ tablespoons of oil to the pan and let the oil become hot.
- Once the oil is hot, temper the whole spices – ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms, 4 cloves and allow them to crackle.
- Add chopped onions to the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 8-10 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent.
- Add the 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste to the pan and cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for 2 minutes.
- Add salt, ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for another 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
- Add 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ¾ teaspoon cumin powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on the lowest flame for another 2 minutes until the spices' raw smell disappears.
- Add the sliced ridge gourd, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 5-6 minutes. Stir in between if required.
- Add 1 cup water to the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it over a high flame until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame to low and cook it for 15 minutes.
- Add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it for a few seconds.
- Add 4 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves and mix them well.
- Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
