Ridgegourd-Peel Chutney

When it came to cooking, our grand mothers never threw off the peels, seeds and rinds of so many veggies. They probably knew it that these 'wastes' do contain many nutrients and fiber  in some cases more than the actual veggie or fruit and can be put to better use than dumping it into the trash. And so some very good, amazing tasting delicacies were churned out, disguising the main ingredient so well that everyone who ate it would love the taste and not bother to know what has gone inside!

The same was carried over by my mom and MIL as well and thus it continues with me too! The list is endless, with chutneys made from veggie peels/seeds, dosas with rind of watermelon, methi stalks (recipe soon to follow), gojju with jack fruit seeds, and so on. 

One of my favorites till date is the chutney made from ridge-gourd (heerekai) peel. Mom usually made tovve (dal) with the ridge gourd and the peel was used to make chutney, as an accompaniment. That used to be one of my most favorite meals! She used to make sure that the chutney is ground just a few minutes before meal time so that the roasted lentils that went into it were still crisp in the chutney and gave a nice texture when mixed with hot rice with a spoonful of oil or ghee!! What a combination!!

So, next time you are about to throw off the peel, stop and turn it into a nice delicacy! Here's the recipe...

Heerekai sippe / Ridge gourd peel chutney

Preparation time : 5 min
Cooking time : 5 min
Serves : 4 -6

Ingredients:
Heerekai / Ridge gourd peel - from 1 big or 2 small ones - don't peel too much, just the outer ridges would do
Coconut - 1/2 cup, grated
Dry Red chilies - 5-6, depending on taste
Chana dal / Toor dal - 1 Tbsp
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Tamarind - a small marble sized ball
Coriander and Curry leaves - 1-2 sprigs each
Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste

For Tempering:
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - A few sprigs
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Hing/asafetida - a pinch

Method:
• Roast chana/toor dal, red chilies, curry leaves in a tsp of oil till the lentils change color
• Add the peel to it and continue roasting till the raw smell is gone from the peel
• Let it cool slightly
• Grind the above with all other ingredients, adding a little water. Do not make it into a fine paste - a bit of texture gives a better tasting chutney
• Transfer the ground chutney to a serving bowl
For tempering / tadka:
• Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard and allow to splutter
• Add curry leaves and hing
• Garnish the chutney with tadka

Notes:
• Do not make the chutney too smooth – a little coarse consistency will give a better taste
• Can use chana dal / toor dal or even urad dal or a combination of them

• The chutney tastes good with dosas, rottis too.

Jackfruit Seeds Gojju/Gravy

‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’, I read somewhere. And for me, it’s raining jackfruits this season! Well, I am a big fan of jackfruits. You get me a big ripe yum jackfruit and peel it for me (yeah, I can’t do it myself) and I’ll finish half of it before you even peel it fully!
This year, Dee is getting home jackfruits very often and I promptly do the honors :). And our next task would be to count the number of seeds to see if the amount we paid was worth it!

These seeds taste good when cooked with veggies and added in sambhar, which we do quite often. Other than that, this season, since the quantity of the seeds was more, we had to make something else to use it up, so here is a gojju with jackfruit seeds. It does taste good, with rice or chapathis.

Jackfruit seeds gojju

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 15-20 min Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: Jackfruit seeds – 18-20 medium sized Cooking Oil - 2 tsp Turmeric - a small pinch Chana dal – 2 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds - ¾ tsp Red chilies - 10 -12, byadagi variety (use Guntur variety for spicier version) Coconut - 1 cup, grated Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 15-20 Jaggery - 1 big marble sized ball Tamarind - 2 big marble sized balls, washed and soaked Salt - 1 tsp, vary acc to taste Method: • Peel and break jackfruit seeds. • Pressure cook with a little water and a little salt for 2-3 whistles or till cooked soft. • Meanwhile, in a separate pan, dry roast chana dal, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, red chilies and remaining curry leaves for 1-2 minutes till they become aromatic and golden brown • Allow to cool slightly and grind the roasted spices with grated coconut, salt and jaggery, tamarind pulp adding water if required • Add this ground paste to the cooked jackfruit seeds, and bring it to a boil • Add water to maintain gravy-like consistency • Put off the flame after 5 minutes of boiling • Make tempering with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add to the gravy. • Serve with rice / rotis/ chapathis/ dosas Tips n Tricks: • To break the jackfruit seeds, hit it with a rolling pin or some heavy object. It breaks into smaller pieces, after which it is easy to peel the outer thick skin. Variations: • Green chilies can be used in place of dry red chilies