Before diving into the recipe I must share this personal story. From my childhood, I wasn’t a huge fan of veggies. I used to eat some of the vegetables surely but Jhinge/ridge gourd never made it to the list.
Jhinge chorchori is loved by all of my family members but they could never convince me to try it. It’s a very common curry in Bengali cuisine. One day I gave in to my mom’s request and it turned out that Jhinge/Ridge Gourd can actually taste and look good if done right. Few months back I wouldn’t even have considered writing about this recipe as I stick to the recipes I have had and personally liked.
Jhinge chorchori is the kind of dish you would probably never find in a restaurant, yet it represents what we have on day to day basis and that is exactly what I want to document and share with the world. If you’re open to try new dishes around the world or just starting out on your journey to become vegetarian/ vegan- do give it a try!
This dish heavily relies on the flavours of Mustard seeds and coconut- if you are not a fan of that, you may not like this. Coconut-mustard paste is commonly used in Bengali cooking…
Things you need
- 1 kg Jhinge/Ridge Gourd/Chinese Okra
- Mustard seeds 2 tbsp + 1 tsp
- Grated coconut 1 cup
- Green chilies 3-4
- Salt
- Turmeric powder 1 tsp
- Cumin powder 1 tsp
- Coriander powder 1 tsp
- Mustard oil 2 tbsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
No elaborate prepping is required for this dish.
Procedure
- Peel the ridge gourds, remove the seeds and chop them into small pieces.
- Wash the chopped ridge gourd/Jhinge and drain the excess water.
- Grind 2 tbsp Mustard seeds, 1 cup grated coconut, 4 green chilies and a pinch of salt in a food processor. You may need add splash of water to get a fine paste. Be cautious about the amount of salt you put in as you’ll add more salt towards the end. However, salt is essential for making this paste- without which Mustard seeds may turn bitter.
- Heat Mustard oil in a pan and temper with some Mustard seeds. Add turmeric powder, cumin and coriander powder into the oil and stir it until raw smell is gone.
- Add the chopped ridge gourds/Jhinge to the pan and stir it for 4-5 mins. Add salt as per taste
- When the ridge gourds are cooked halfway through, add the coconut Mustard paste in.
- Cook it for 10-15 mins with lid on.
- When ridge gourd looks well cooked, sprinkle a tsp sugar over it .
- Jhinge chorchori/ Ridge Gourd Curry is ready to be served. It tastes well with plain rice.
If you like this, you can also check out my other posts-
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