Stuffed Ridge Gourd Recipe | Heerekai Ennegai Recipe | How to do Bharwa Turai

Stuffed Ridge Gourd / Heerekayi Ennegai – is North Karnataka style stuffed Ridge gourd. Trust me ..they taste awesome with chapathi / bhakri …. Make this traditional dish at home using this easy recipe.
If you are looking to explore few more North Karnataka dishes , you can check these – Brinjal Ennegai , bhakri , Zunka ,Shenga Chutney pudi , etc
You can check out Heerekayi ennegayi video here :
About This Recipe
Heerekayi Ennegai is a North Karnataka-style stuffed Ridgegourd recipe where tender ridge gourds are stuffed with a spicy peanut dry coconut based masala and later simmered in a spicy base gravy.This dish is similar to the Stuffed Brinjal ( Badne Ennegayi ) that i had shared earlier , the only difference here is the use of ridge Gourd instead of Brinjal.
A very unique ingredient, known as Niger seeds / Gurellu is added to this dish . Each regional cuisine has its own set of defining ingredients. And these black Niger seeds , are distinct to North Karnatka cuisine and is a common in pantry . Look wise they resemble slightly like black sesame .. but are longer than them , taste wise there is no similarility . They are so aromatic , flavorful ….just divine.
Ridge Gourd is a vegetable which either many hate / is just OK OK type . Knowing that ridge gourd is very high in water and nutrient content and barely has any fats and cholesterol , i keep bringing them home often . From ridge gourd i usually make ridge gourd dosa, dal , chutney , stir fry ,sambar , huli tovve, sihi menasu etc . Thank fully my kids are not that fussy when it comes to veggies . I have already shared few ridge gourd recipes here and today its time for a lovely dish using the veggie – ” Stuffed Ridge Gourd / HeereKai Ennegai “, which i am sure will receive a thumbs up, from even ridge gourd haters.
Few points to note while making Stuffed Ridge gourd :
- Use tender ridge gourd only . Over grown veggie which has matured seeds , won’t taste good for this dish .
- Don’t peel off the skin completely.This will make the veggie weak and will be difficult to fill in the masala .
- If you are lazy to stuff ridge gourd / running out of time, short cut method is : just chop ridge gourd into big pieces and proceed with other steps as mentioned above. Ya it won’t be stuffed ridge gourd , but a curry . Neverthless it tastes good.
- Do not forget to add peanut-sesame-dry coconut powder.This gives nice taste and texture to the gravy.
- If you want you can omit onion.The same masala as well method can be used to cook stuffed capsicum / stuffed brinjal
Note : This recipe was published on June 12 th 2015 and re published on 18 / 11 / 2022 with updates .
STUFFED RIDGE GOURD
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium size Ridge gourd / heerekai, ( tender fresh ones without seeds )
- 1 big onion, sliced
- 1 big tomato, diced
To Temper
- 2-3 tbsp Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- 1/2 tsp Channa Dal / bengal gram
- few Curry Leaves
Masala To stuff
- 1/2 Cup Peanut
- 2-3 tbsp Dry Coconut / kopra / kobbri
- 2 tbsp Niger Seeds / Gurellu
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Sambar Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder, based on spice level
- 1/2 tsp Haldi / Turmeric
- lemon size Tamarind
- amla size Jaggery , optional
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and roughly peel the ridge gourd to remove sharp ridges. You need not peel the skin completely. The removed peel can be used to do ridge gourd chutney .
- In a pan dry roast peanuts . Let they splutter . Keep aside . Let they cool
- To the same pan add niger seeds . Roast on low flame . They splutter quickly If you don't have niger seeds , use white or black sesame seeds . Taste wise they don't match but gives a nutty texture.
- Now , to a mixer grinder start adding all the ingredients mentioned under masala to stuff .ie roasted peanuts , chopped kopra , roasted niger seeds , sambar powder , chilli powder , garam masala powder , haldi , tamarind , jaggery and salt to taste .
- Add little water and make a thick smooth chutney . Now stuffing is ready .Make sure the paste is not runny . Else it gets difficult to stuff .
- Cut the ridge gourd to about 1.5 ” pieces .Cut them in “+” shape just half through the ridge gourd as shown in the pic.Do not cut fully .
- Stuff the masala with a spoon or with your fingers as much as possible into the slitted ridge gourd. Keep the remaining masala aside to use later .
- To a pan,add oil .When they are hot, splutter mustard seeds, urad dal , channa dal and curry leaves.Add onions and saute till they are translucent.
- Now add the stuffed ridge gourd and saute for 2-3 minute.
- Next add tomatoes and remaining stuffing masala .
- Add some water and close the lid and cook .Keep the flame on medium . Stir occasionally to see that it is not burnt.
- After around 8-10 mins , check if Ridge gourds are cooked . They should be soft yet firm to hold shape .
- Lastly garnish with some chopped coriander leaves .
- That's it yummy Stuffed Ridge gourd / Heerekai ennegai is ready to serve . Relish them hot with Chapathi / Jowar bhakri / Rice bhakri / Steamed Rice.
9 Comments
marudhus kitchen
June 11, 2015 at 11:08 amA new type of gravy I have learnt with this veggie ..thank u
padma veeranki
June 11, 2015 at 8:51 pmI have tried and stuffed many veggies but never thought of this…Great share..will try sometime:)
Gloria
June 12, 2015 at 2:51 pmWe make stir fry with ridge gourd..this gravy looks super ..will try this style someday
Gayathri Ramanan
June 12, 2015 at 4:43 pmInteresting dish with ridge gourd..love to try…Enter to win giveaway in my bloghttp://foodybuddy.net/2015/06/10/my-first-giveaway-engraved-bamboo-cutting-board.html
Rasakama
June 12, 2015 at 5:51 pmlooks delicious. I just hope that I will be able to find this vegetable in Canada. http://www.rasakama.comA Sri Lankan cooking blog
shobha rawal
June 13, 2015 at 5:08 amDelicious & spicy ridge gourd……….my fav summer vegetable.www.shobhapink.blogspot.in
Venugopal Gopalswamysetty
December 2, 2015 at 3:02 amSuberp taste with wonderful gravy.. It’s my favourite dish. I recommend others to try and enjoy this curry.
seeker
June 30, 2016 at 12:23 pmi tried this. I used vangibath powder for the stuffing which is made with the same ingredients. Came out v well. I had some difficulty in scooping out the seeds though. Any suggestion?
Rashmi M S
February 2, 2018 at 6:55 pmHi Smitha,
Made this today and we all loved it! Thanks for the recipe 🙂