Beerakaya recipe made by stir frying ridge gourd with spice powders. Serve it with rice or roti.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Total time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: South Indian
Ingredients
- 250 grams ridge gourd (or beerakaya (tender))
- 1 tbsp Oil
- ¼ tsp mustard
- ½ tsp cumin (or jeera)
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 ½ tsp chana dal (or bengal gram)
- 1 ½ tsp urad dal (or skinned black gram)
- 1 Pinch hing (optional)
- 1 garlic clove (crushed)
- 1 red chili (broken)
- salt (as needed)
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- 1 to 2 tbsps coconut (optional)
- 1 tbsp peanuts (Roasted and skinned, (optional))
- ¾ tbsp chana dal
- ¾ tbsp urad dal
- ¾ tbsp dried coconut
- ¾ tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp cumin (or jeera)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 red chilies
Method
How to make beerakaya fry
- Wash the beerakaya under running water, brush it well since we are using the skin too. Wash well. Devein and chop to bite sized pieces.
- Heat a pan with oil. Add mustard, cumin, dals, and fry till the dals turn golden
- Add curry leaves, red chili and garlic. Fry till the curry leaves turn crisp. Sprinkle hing.
- Then add beerakaya, sprinkle turmeric and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes stirring.
- Reduce the flame to low to medium and fry till beerakaya is cooked completely. If your gourd is not tender and juicy. You can sprinkle water, cover and cook.
- On another burner, dry roast chana dal, urad dal & red chilies until dal turns golden. Then add sesame seeds, coconut, cumin & garlic. Roast on a low heat until the sesame turns aromatic. Do not over fry. Cool and powder this.
- Add salt, 1½ tbsp vepudu karam and coconut. Fry till you get a nice aroma for about 3 minutes. Then add peanuts and fry for another 2 mins.
- Serve beerakaya fry with rice, sambar or rasam
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.