One of the dishes that I wanted mom to prepare for me when I went to India was this Thovvay prepared with ridge gourd and toor dhal.[Heeray kaai-Ridge gourd;Thovvay -dhal ].It is fairly simple to prepare and this is the first dish that comes to my mind if I am bored of the same old sambar to go with rice.
Mom used :
Toor dhal – ¼ cup
Ridge gourd -1
Seasoning :
Oil -1 teaspoon
Mustard- ½ a teaspoon
Split urad dhal-1/2 a teaspoon
Gram dhal-1 teaspoon
Green chilies-2 ,slit
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Curry leaves a few
Salt to taste
Lemon juice-to taste[optional]
- Pressure cook the dal with enough water till soft.Mash lightly and keep aside.
- Peel and chop ridge gourd into 1/2 ” cubes.
- Heat oil in a small pan,add mustard,urad dhal,gram dhal and wait till the dal turns brown.
- Put in asafetida ,slit green chillies and curry leaves and wait till the curry leaves crisp.
- Put in the ridge gourd and add a little water and cover and cook till the vegetable is soft but not mushy.
- Put in the cooked dhal,add salt and mix well.
- Bring to a boil and remove from flame
- If using lemon juice, add to the dal mixture when it is luke-warm.
- Garnish with coriander leaves[optional]
Serve with steamed rice and sour stew.
- You can also prepare this with moong dhal.
- Green chillies gives a nice taste to the dish but you can also use red chillies.
- Can use ghee instead of oil.
Here is another Tovvay served with a sour stew prepared with sun-dried vegetable featured as perfect pair.Also read how these this ‘made for each other’ dish is brimming with goodness.
Happy cooking…
Dear padmajha
Very nice dish and I like the seasoning here. We make Tuar dal with ridge gourd but the seasoning is very different in Bengali style.
Have a nice day
I prepare a similar dish with chayote squash and channa dhal :-). Nice to know this version using ridge gourd