Turai Dal chawar or turai aur chana dal is a healthy sabzi. Here we cook chana dal along with torai or gilki. It is light on the stomach and easy to digest.This Sindhi recipe is very similar to Gujarati recipe made with moong dal. Also known as turai aur moong dal ki sabji or Turia mag ni dal.
Chana dal or yellow split lentils gives a great base to ridge gourd. Thus, it is an ideal combination of lentils and veggies.You can eat with both a flat bread or with rice.Serve it with some mango pickle, air fried poppadums and fresh salad.`
Top tip: Add a dash of lemon juice, when you serve.It will help increase the taste. Also lets you absorb your iron better in the meal, due to the addition of vitamin C.
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Benefits of turai
- Ridge gourd aids weight-loss.
- It is plentiful in vitamin B6 and iron.
- Relieves constipation and aids recovery when ill.
- Protects liver.
- It is easy to digest.
Ingredients
For curry:
- yellow split pea lentils / chana dal
- ridge gourd / turai (yields 600 grams)
- tomatoes
- onion diced
- oil / ghee for vegetarian option
- cumin seeds
- ginger garlic paste
- Pinch asafoetida / heeng (avoid if gluten free)
- red chilli powder
- turmeric powder
- coriander powder
- cumin powder
- Salt as per taste
- lime juice or dash of lemon
rice
- basmati rice
- water
- salt optional
salad (optional)
- cherry tomatoes
- onion sliced lengthwise
- Dash of lemon
Air fried popaddums or papad (optional)
refer to recipe card for details.
Instructions
Rice:
- Cook a cup of rice with 2 cups of water. Keep it aside.
- Slice onions and cherry tomatoes for salad.Serve fresh with curry and dash of lime
How to make turai aur Chana dal in pressure cooker?
- Soak chana dal (yellow split lentils) for 25 mins.
- Heat oil and add cumin seeds and let it splutter.
- Add ginger garlic paste(you can add crushed ginger/garlic if you don't have a handy paste) and mix well.
- Add a pinch of asafaoetida along with spices and salt.
- Mix well.(Toasting spices will give it a fresh flavor however,you may spices after cooking ridge gourd )
- Add onions and saute it till they turn pink.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook for few minuttes till they are soft.
- Add ridge gourd pieces along with some salt and let it cook,till they soften and release some water.
- Now add chana dal along with 2 cups of water and some salt
- Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
- Serve hot with rice and salad with a dash of lemon and chunda.
Tip: When you peel and cut your gourd.Always taste a small piece. If it is bitter, the whole curry will turn bitter.No amount of spices can then save that curry.
Substitutions:
You can temper the dal with ghee for vegetarians.I love pairing it with roti or brown rice.You can also use bottle gourd, zucchini for a similar curry if you do not have ridge gourd at home. Similarly, you can substitute chana dal with moong dal, red lentils (masoor dal)or tuvar dal (arhar). You can also make it a no onion no garlic dal recipe.
Variations
You can use curry powder, red chili powder and garam masala instead of below spices.
You can also cook it as a South Indian chutney or Telugu dondakaya pachadi. Sindhis also make a nijji turai recipe with ridge gourd. We cook ridge gourd pieces in a tbsp. ghee and cumin only add black pepper for spices. This tastes delicious with roti and is given to new mums for recovery. You need more torai for a decent bowl of nijji torai as it reduces a lot due to water content in it. You can also cook torai sabji in onion tomato gravy.It tastes great with both rice and roti.
FAQ
It is alkaline.
Select a gourd without blemishes. It should be slightly heavy and not have uneven ridges. Exterior should not appear dry. It should have no soft spots.
Related recipes
Turai Dal chawar recipe
Equipment
- pressure cooker / instant pot
- saucepan / rice cooker for cooking rice
Ingredients
For curry:
- 1 cup yellow split pea lentils / chana dal
- 1 kg ridge gourd / turai (yields 600 grams)
- 2-3 tomatoes large
- 1 onion diced
- 1 tablespoon oil / ghee for vegetarian option
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- Pinch asafoetida / been (avoid if gluten free)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- Salt as per taste
- 1 tsp lime juice or dash of lemon
For rice
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups water
For salad
- 3-4 cherry tomatoes
- ½ onion sliced lengthwise
- Dash of lemon
Fried popaddums or papad
Instructions
- Cook a cup of rice with 2 cups of water. Keep it aside.
- Slice onions and cherry tomatoes for salad.Serve fresh with curry and dash of lime
For curry:.
- Soak chana dal (yellow split lentils) for 25 mins.
- Heat oil and add cumin seeds and let it splutter.
- Add ginger garlic paste(you can add crushed ginger/garlic if you don't have a handy paste) and mix well.
- Add a pinch of asafaoetida along with spices and salt.
- Mix well.(Toasting spices will give it a fresh flavor however,you may spices after cooking ridge gourd )
- Add onions and saute it till they turn pink.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook for few minuttes till they are soft.
- Add ridge gourd pieces along with some salt and let it cook,till they soften and release some water.
- Now add chana dal along with 2 cups of water and some salt
- Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
- Serve hot with rice and salad with a dash of lemon and chunda.
Food safety
- Always reheat your left overs.
- Keep the kitchen well ventilated.
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