Enjoy this easy and delicious Ridge Gourd Curry, also known as Turai ki subzi, made in the pressure cooker or instant pot. This is a simple, yet flavorful curry with many nutritional benefits of ridge gourd.
Growing up, Turai is one vegetable all the kids would avoid. So I literally never ate this curry all the way until 6 years back. My mom had come to help out after my daughter was born.
Right after delivering a baby, in North India they recommend to eat vegetables and lentils which are easy to digest such as Bottle gourd (lauki), Ridge gourd (turai), spinach saag, and lentils such as split moong dal. So I was left with no choice, I had to eat all the things good for me and the baby 🙂
But guess what, I totally started enjoying this Ridge Gourd Curry, so much that I would make it all the time even five years later! So I want to share this deliciousness with you all.
If you have tried the Lauki (Bottle gourd curry) that I shared last year, you will love this one too! This curry goes well with both roti and rice.
This curry is called Turai ki subzi (Tori, Turiya) in North India, Beerakaya Curry in some parts of South India. This exact same method can be used to make a curry with Sponge Gourd, called Gilki ki Subji in Hindi or with Zucchini, also called Courgette.
What is Ridge Gourd?
Ridge Gourd, which has the scientific name Luffa is a part of the cucumber family. This vegetable is popular in India, China and Vietnam. It is also called Chinese Okra or Sinqua.
It is best to eat this vegetable when it is young and is still green. Its surface is covered with ridges that run along its length. It has a smooth yet crunchy flesh and tiny soft seeds.
Interesting fact: A matured and dried version of this plant is used to make the Loofah or kitchen sponge.
Ridge gourd nutrition & benefits
- Ridge gourd is a very low calorie vegetables with just 20 calories per 100 g. It's delicate, sponge-textured flesh consists of moderate levels of minerals and vitamins in addition to being rich in antioxidants.
- Being rich in dietary fibers and smooth flesh, luffa facilitates easy digestion and easy movement of food through the bowel. Thus, it helps in relieving indigestion and constipation problems.
- Fresh pods of ridge gourd contain folates, which are beneficial to expectant mothers.
After seeing all the health benefits of ridge gourd, we have added it even more regularly to our shopping list. I hope you enjoy it too!
How to peel and chop Ridge Gourd?
Firstly always buy fresh, tender ridge gourd. Choose immature, green, firm pod with long intact, healthy stem. There should be ridges or lines on the body, but they should not be too bumpy or defined, which is a sign of matured ridge gourd.
Store ridge gourd in the vegetable section in your refrigerator. It is best to use ridge gourd within 2-3 days after buying.
I prefer to use a peeler to peel the ridge gourd. You can scrape with a knife too, but the peeler is much easier. You want all the rough ridges or lines to be peeled completely.
Then cut it into half lengthwise and chop it into small pieces which can be added to the curry.
How to make Ridge Gourd Curry in Pressure Cooker?
This Ridge Gourd curry (Turai ki subzi) uses very basic ingredients and spices.
- Start the pressure cooker or instant pot in sauté mode.
- Add oil, cumin, green chili, ginger and garlic. I used finely diced ginger and garlic. If using a paste or minced, add ginger and garlic along with diced onions.
- Add onions and sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, spices and sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Then add the chopped ridge gourd (turai) and ¼ cup of water. We are adding very less water in this curry, as ridge gourd releases a lot of liquid when cooked.
- Now pressure cook for 5 minutes in the instant pot or for 2 whistles in a stovetop pressure cooker. When the cooking time is done, release pressure manually 10 minutes after the beep.
Mix in the lime juice. I find lime juice a must add in this curry. You can also add dry mango or amchur powder in place of lime juice.
Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
We served this Turai curry with spinach roti (Indian flatbread) and basmati rice!
Check out other healthy curry recipes I have posted in the past:
- Aloo Matar (Potato & Peas Curry)
- Saag Paneer
- Pumpkin Curry
- Lauki Chana Dal
- Meal Maker / Soya Chunks Curry
Ridge Gourd Curry Recipe | Turai ki subzi - Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green chili pepper diced, optional
- 1 cup Onion diced
- 1 ¼ cup Tomato chopped
- ½ tablespoon Ginger grated
- ½ tablespoon Garlic minced
- 5 cups Ridge Gourd (Turai) peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- Cilantro to garnish
Spices
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder) adjust to taste, I used mild Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and cumin seeds. Saute for 30 seconds.
- When the cumin seeds change color, add green chili, onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until the onions become golden brown while stirring frequently.
- Add tomato and spices. Stir and let them cook for 2 minutes.
- Add chopped ridge gourd and water. Stir and scrape off anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Press Cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 5 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the pressure manually.
- For stovetop pressure cooker, cook for 2 whistles about 5 minutes after pressure is built.
- Open the pot. Add lime juice and mix with the curry.
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve with roti or rice.
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Swathi says
This recipe turned out really tasty. Thank you.
Reena says
Hi I tried this recipe but it did not work at all- the Turai doesn’t cook even if I put it in pressure cooker ;-; I’m crying in my kitchen what do I do
Meeta Arora says
Hi Reena - Not sure why the Turai did not cook well. Couple of issue you can check for - The Turai was old, which can make it harder to cook, or it is possible the pot did not come to pressure. I hope you give it another try!
Aayush Agarwal says
Thanks for sharing the recipe! Just curious, how did you prep in 10 minutes? I washed, peeled, deseeded and diced the ridge gourd which alone took me over an hour. My total prep time was 90 minutes. What am I missing?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Aayush - I do not deseed the ridge gourd. If it is fresh and tender, then there is no need to remove the seeds. If you see the details in the post, I have shared that I use a peeler to peel it and chop it into pieces. That does make the prep much faster. I hope that helps.
Kay says
Thanks for sharing ! Is this ridge gourd vegetable available in regular US stores, or do you get them from the Indian/Asian markets ?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Kay - I have not seen it in regular grocery stores. We get it from the indian grocery store here.
Emilija says
Hello, thank you for recipe 😊 I wanted to ask if turai is meant to be bitter when cooked because it turned out that way for me. Many thanks
Meeta Arora says
Hi Emilija - The curry turned out bitter as the ridge gourd used was bitter. This happens sometimes that the ridge gourd itself is bitter, when it is over matured. When choosing ridge gourd at the store, buy fresh tender ones. Some people actually taste it to make sure it is not bitter. Unfortunately it is not easy to find out any other way if the vegetable itself is bitter before cooking. I try to make this curry within a day or two of buying it.
Kiara says
Thank you so much for this recipe Meeta! Just today I was thinking of making a similar curry with zucchini and wished you had a recipe for it. Trying this one tonight 🙂
Meeta Arora says
Hey Kiara - Looking forward to hear how it turns out!