Turai with Chana Dal
Garden dreams – When they come true, it’s a glorious feeling.
One of my lifelong garden dreams has been growing turai at home. This summer, beautiful turai vines smiled with pretty yellow flowers and it has been turai tanmayam ever since. Total number of turai harvested so far was around 60 from four turai vines. Garden goddess is in good mood, it’s the only reason I could think of for this blessing.
Turai is such a lovable vegetable with succulent, white flesh and delicate, sweet flavor. Tender turai doesn’t take much time to cook and digests easily, nourishing the spirit. We love our turai and we have been cooking many great turai recipes to our hearts content for the past one month.
The following turai recipe is Vijay’s creation. Tasty turai, little bit tomato and some chana dal, cooked together, it was a good meal and a simple solution to overwhelmed brain with excessive turai.
Homegrown TuraiTurai with Chana Dal
(for 2 or 4, for 1 or 2 meals)3 fresh and tender turai, arm length each
1/4 cup chana dal, soaked in water for about two hours
2 semi ripe tomatoes
4 green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon, turmeric
1/2 teaspoon, salt or to taste
For cumin tadka: 1 tablespoon peanut oil,
pinch each-cumin and mustard seeds and few fresh curry leavesPeel turai ridges. Rinse the vegetable well. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
In a heavy pan, heat peanut oil. Add and toast cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves to fragrance.
Add the rehydrated chana dal to the skillet. Saute the dal to pale red.
Add tomato and cook to soft.
Add turai pieces. Sprinkle turmeric. Mix well. Cover and cook the turai for about five minutes or until the pieces become soft.
Stir in salt. Sprinkle a tablespoon of grated coconut if you wish. Cook another couple of minutes and turn off the heat.
Serve the turai with chana dal warm with rice, chapati or bread for a light and tasty meal.
Turai with Chana Dal ~ for Meal Today
Bottle guard in the picture looks divine! Lucky to get such fresh and healthy farm grown veggies,Indira. Nice recipe, love ridge guard and its preparations.
ah! staying now in an apt, i do miss the backyard of my maternal home…beerakaya, chikkudu, donda and kakara grew like crazy…not to mention the thotakura and bachali… homegrown veggies taste so different…
looks like a comfort meal,..
One of my favourite curry!
The curry looks very yum indira… SLURP 🙂
Wow the curry looks delicious ………
wow indira.. beerakayalu looks awesome.. I bet u must be feeling wonderful to go into the garden and choose what veggies to cook dont u.. and hey indira.. how’s the movie?
The fresh hanging beerakai is such a lovely sight. I still remember when I was young, when I go to buy vegetables with my mother I used to make her buy even the vegetables I don’t like. Just the sight of fresh vegetables makes me want to have them. And I still do that. 🙂
Nice recipe.
I tried the lemon pickle recipe but my pickle is bitter. It has been sitting on the counter for more than 2 weeks. What can I do to remove the bitterness?
Hi Priya: For the first few weeks, the lime pickle will be bitter. The pickle needs at least a month to mature and the limes will become from bitter to soft and tasty pickled limes with time, I promise. Add salt if you think it’s necessary. Wait and give the pickle some time for great results.
Do let me know how it tastes after one month. Thanks.
-Indira
Dear Indira,
I have visited your blog so many times in the past few years and just love everything about it. The pictures, the indexing of the recipes and your updates. I am so excited that you are in Houston now, I live in Pearland and was very happy to know you live here now. Thanks for following your passion and giving us soul food. Keep up the good work.
I love its wholesome goodness! Total comfort food if you ask me!
Nice recipe. I also love torai thuvaiyal/chutney ( roasted dal and turai chutney) . Tastes divine with hot rice and til oil.
Indira, The curry looks so yummy. I am going to try this soon!
My mom still makes this and I love having it with nei and annam… simple food is always the best! Your version looks so tasty!
Aha! Enjoy the bliss of homegrown Turai!! I’m sticking to growing simpler veggies this year. 🙂
Do you know that turai curry made with ginger, green chillies, milk etc and blended very lightly? One of my Telugu roomies from what looks like my previous life, introduced that to me and I just love it!! With this milk intolerance, I’ve forgotten what it tastes like! Maybe I’ll try it with almond milk.
Indira – turai is a common vegetable available in Mumbai – especially in summers. Light, flavorsome, and healthy. An simple dish we prepare is with moong dal. Tempering of jeera, hing, and when the chopped veggies are added, salt , haldi powder and chilli powder is also added. You can add corriander powder into it, as well as a cup of soaked moong dal (without skin). Let it cook on a slow flame. At the end, add a dash of jaggery and the dish is ready to eat!
Simple and homely recipe!
Thank you all for your turai-licious comments.
Padmaja: How are you?
Movie was bearable only because of the pleasant compnay I had.:)
Kay: What a polite way to express about not being a turai fan!.:) You are sweet and kind!
Dear Vinnie: It’s good to know that you are also from Houston area. Thank you for the appreciative words about Mahanandi.
Minka: It’s my favorite too.:)
Dear Kay: How are you? So good to read about your garden updates.
Turai with milk is a typical and very well liked Andhra preparation. The curry tastes quite good with almond milk too and I made it couple of times before. I think you are also going to love it.
Narayan: Thanks for the recipe, will try it for sure.
Indira, I cooked this last night for dinner and it was a big hit in our home. Thanks
Oh! Almond milk works in that recipe? So good to know that. 🙂 Will be trying it soon. Thanks Indira! I’m doing just great, back to work after 5 yrs! slowly getting accustomed to this new change.
i made turai curry last night.but forgot to taste 1 or 2 of them while cutting….curry is bitter. i don’t want to throw it. what should i do to make it eatable? pls tell me soon