BEERAKAYA CURRY RECIPE

Beerakaya is one of my family’s favorite vegetables and is used to prepare a number of dishes like beerakaya pappu, beerakaya menthu kura, beerkaya pachadi, vepudu and ridge gourd is also cooked in combination with prawns and eggs . Ridge gourd is a vegetable which is cooked by us Andhras usually as a pachadi, stir fry (vepudu), cooked in milk (Beerakaya Paalu Posina Kura), with lentils (Beerakaya Pappu, another classic Andhra dish) or cooked with prawns/eggs.

Beerakaya when prepared as a stuffed vegetable with a zesty filling made from spices like sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red chillis that are roasted and ground to a fine paste along with ginger, garlic, onions and tamarind, has a mingling of flavors :- sweet-spicy-tangy. A delicious stuffed curry that goes well with both rice and rotis!

Ingredients for Beerakaya Curry

Directions to prepare Beerakaya Curry (beerakaya curry,beerakaya kura,beerakaya koora,beerakaya pappu,beerakaya masala,beerakaya curry recipe)

1. Pre-heat oil in a cooking vessel. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the crushed garlic cloves and curry leaves and stir fry for a few seconds.
2. Add the chopped onions and green chillis and sauté till the onions turn pink. Add the chopped ridge gourd pieces(Beerakaya), combine and cook on medium heat for 5 mts.
3. Reduce heat and cover with lid and cook further for another 7-8 mts. Add red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, coriander pwd and salt and combine.
4. Add the water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with lid and cook till all the water evaporates.
5. Lastly, on medium flame, slowly add the milk to the curry, while stirring continuously for 3-4 mts or till you get the desired curry consistency. Constantly stir otherwise the milk will curdle.
6. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve HOT