Peerkangai & Verkadalai Saadam/Ridge Gourd & Peanut Rice

          Peerkangai or Ridge Gourd is widely used in Asian cooking, and in Indian cooking we make a variety of dishes with it, the most common being the kootu and chutney. This vegetable has a unique flavor and a slightly sweetish taste, in fact if it is bitter it's not fit for cooking. I usually make sambar or kootu or chutney with it, for a change I used it in this rice along with some peanuts. It turned out really delicious, the softness of the vegetable and the crunchiness from the peanuts complimented each other, you can try this out even with left over rice..

Need To Have

• Rice - 3/4 cup
• Ridge Gourd - 1 + 1/2 cup peeled and chopped
• Tomato - 1 big chopped
• Peanuts - 1/4
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 3/4 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10

Method

          Cook and cool the rice and boil the peanuts. Heat some oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the fenugreek seeds. After 1/2 a minute add the ridge gourd pieces, chilly and turmeric powders, saute for 2 or 3 minute, then add the peanuts, tomatoes and salt, mix, cover and cook for 2 minutes.

          Now add the curry leaves and the garam masala, mix for a minute, switch off and cool. Then add the cooked rice and mix in gently. Serve it with some raitha and chips.

Note
While peeling the ridge gourd, leave some skin here and there, but peel all the raised edges and chop into big pieces, so that the vegetable holds its shape.
Dried raw peanuts are available, just pressure cook them with some water for 3/4th of the time taken to cook parboiled rice, about 10 minutes.
You shouldn't let the fenugreek seeds to brown, it'll taste bitter.
Add the chilly powder wisely according to your taste.
Also while mixing in the rice, don't add all the rice at once, mix in little by little, tasting the rice in between for taste, stop adding rice once you get the perfect taste.