Easy Turai / Turiya / Peerey Subzi

Turai or Tori vegetable (ridge gourd in English) will be made either as a curry or a dry side dish. Get the recipe to make South Indian style turiya or perry upkari. It is an easy dish made by stir-frying the gourd and ending it with a coconut garnish.

What’s Turai / Turiya

There are different sorts of gourds present in India. Turai, Turiya, or Ridge gourd is one such variety with green and ridged exterior and white pulp on the within. Considered a part of the cucumber family, this popular vegetable dish is commonly cooked as a curry or a dry side dish.

In case you grew up in India, you most likely had this vegetable however it could have been called one in every of these names based on the state you got here from:

• Ridge gourd (English)
• Dodka (Marathi)
• Turai / Turi (Hindi)
• Turiya (Gujarati)
• Peerey (Tulu)
• Heerekayi (Kannada)
• Peerkangkai (Tamil)
• Beerakai (Telugu)
• Luffa or Lufah (scientific name)

Most grocery stores across the US carry turiya however it is commonly labeled as sin qua (Chinese name).

In case you never had turiya before, I might say it tastes quite a bit like zucchini. Here’s the thing though – when it’s cooked and seasoned with spices, the vegetable transforms right into a flavorful dish that almost all people appreciate.

While it may be an acquired taste for some, most individuals include turai of their food plan due to its health advantages.

Health advantages

Turai is thought to have many health advantages akin to

• Helps with digestion
• Aids weight reduction
• Helps control diabetes
• Relieves constipation

To learn more in regards to the health advantages, read this text – 5 advantages of adding ridge gourd to your food plan.

select

Turiya will be quite bitter sometimes and possibly that’s why I actually have noticed quite a couple of people taking a fast bite of this vegetable before buying. But don’t do this, there’s a neater strategy to select turai – based on its appearance.

While choosing turai, search for a deep green one freed from blemishes. Make sure that the outside doesn’t appear dry and has no soft spots.

The taste of this dish rides quite a bit on the vegetable picked so select well.

make this recipe

The recipe below is an easy South Indian or Mangalorean way of creating this dish and known as peerey or heerekayi upkari.

Ingredient notes

• For tempering – oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves
• Flavor enhancers – garlic cloves, onions, Thai green chilies, salt
• Key ingredient – ridge gourd or turiya
• Garnishing – grated coconut (fresh or frozen)

Instructions

chop

• Rinse the turai thoroughly.
• Use a peeler to peel off the skin across the ridges and surrounding areas. Discard the peel.
• Cut off the stem. Chop it lengthwise into half. Slice each half into 3 pieces. Make horizontal slits to dice them into 1/2 inch cubes.

Cooking instructions

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok. To it add mustard seeds and as they start to splutter add curry leaves and garlic.
• After 10 seconds or so add onions, green chilies, and salt. Fry it till onions turn translucent.
• Add Turiya and let it cook covered for 10 minutes until it is completed. ( Note: You don’t must add water while cooking this vegetable. It releases water by itself).
• Garnish it with grated coconut (if using).

Recipe notes

• Turai when cooked reduces in size by almost 50% so go easy on the salt otherwise you may easily find yourself with a salty dish.

prep ahead

You’ll be able to chop the veggies and leave them within the refrigerator for 1-2 days or within the freezer for as much as a month. No must thaw it before cooking – just use it straight from the freezer.

Storage instructions

Cooked turia bhaji will be refrigerated for as much as 2-3 days without impacting the taste.

What goes well with this recipe

Serve it with basmati rice together with any of those lentil-based curries

1. Tadka Dal
2. Sambar
3. Udupi-style tomato rasam

Recipe notes

• Turai when cooked reduces in size by almost 50% so go easy on the salt otherwise you may easily find yourself with a salty dish.

prep ahead

You’ll be able to chop the veggies and leave them within the refrigerator for 1-2 days or within the freezer for as much as a month. No must thaw it before cooking – just use it straight from the freezer.

Storage instructions

Turia bhaji will be refrigerated for as much as 2-3 days without impacting the taste.

What goes well with this recipe

Serve it with basmati rice together with any of those lentil-based curries

1. Tadka Dal
2. Sambar
3. Udupi-style tomato rasam

Other Mangalorean side dishes it is best to try

• Cabbage upkari – This straightforward, yet flavorful stir-fried cabbage preparation pairs well with steamed rice and sambar and makes for an ideal afternoon meal.
• Plantain subzi (bareda kai ajadina) – Get able to entice your senses with this south-Indian style Kacche kele ki sabzi also called as Bareda kai ajadina (Raw banana/plantain dish) in Mangalore. 
• Kadle Manoli / Chana Tendli (Chickpeas with Tindora) – Kadle Manoli is a vegetarian side dish from Mangalore that mixes white or brown chana (chickpeas) and tindora (ivy gourd) and finished with grated coconut mixed with Kundapur masala.
• Kadle suran bhaji – This classic Mangalorean dish combines black chickpeas (kadle) with elephant foot yam to make a mildly spicy side dish with a touch of sweetness. Enjoy this dish with steaming hot rice and sambar.

This recipe was first published on Dec 2, 2013, and completely updated with step-by-step pictures on October fifth, 2021.