Ridge Gourd Curry/ Beerakaya curry

Ridge gourd or Beerakaya(in Telugu) is one of the most easily prepared dishes. The taste depends on what kind of gourds you've selected. So you can either get it just perfect or totally miss out on the 'yum' quotient. One tip for selecting ridge gourd is that the ridges shouldn't be too high and thick and the tips of the gourd should be fresh. Now, if you've selected good ones...lets begin our cooking

Ingredients:
Ridge Gourd/ Beerakayya - 3-4 medium sized
Onions 1 1/2 medium sized
Coriander/Dhania powder - 1 tspn
Cumin/Jeera powder - 1/2 tspn
Chilli powder - 2 tspn
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
Green Chillies - 5
Chana dal- 2 tspn
Salt - 1 tspn or to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves and a lemon for garnishing

Preparation time: 10-15 mins Cooking time: 15 mins

Peel the skin off the ridge gourds and cube them. Heat some oil in a pan and then put mustard seeds. As they begin to splutter, add sliced onions and saute them till they turn pink. Next, add chana dal, green chillies and fry them well. Do not let the chana dal turn dark brown. Add the powders in the order mentioned above and mix thoroughly. When the chilli powder begins to stick to the base, add some salt and then add the cubed gourd pieces. Mix the pieces well with the mixture in the pan. Place a lid on the pan and let the steam cook the ridge gourd pieces.

When the moisture has well cooked the pieces, remove the lid and let the left out water evaporate. For garnish use some cilantro and lemon wedges.