Spicy Nethi Beerakaya Pachadi ( Ridgegourd / Silk Squash Chutney )

Nethi Beerakaya aka Silk squash ( Chinese Okra ) tastes more like Ridge gourd except for the smooth skin and the texture similar to zucchini. Nethi/Neyyi means ghee or clarified butter in telugu, this ridgegourd is called so because of its buttery texture when cooked. The flesh is so smooth and spongy, it took just a few minutes to cook completely. We actually found a small farmers market ( just a couple miles away ) with all the Indian vegetables for which i have been searching for years. Yes i do love this place, the produce was so fresh and the prices very cheap compared to an Indian grocery which was actually very far. I have bought Aribut( introduced by my hubby ), Fresh raw peanuts, baby bananas( amruthapaani ), Sorakaya, Kakarakaya, Bendakaya, Dondakaya, Nethi beerakaya, Beerakaya, Eggplants( green, red, long ) and more... Finally the hunt for good Indian groceries has been over... Thank God..

I brought these cuties( silk squash ) home thinking of making some dal and pachadi. After tasting this Silk Squash chutney i made only this chutney every time i buy them.. yep tasted that good. I am gonna make dal next time . This is a very simple chutney with some tamarind, onions and green chillies and the best part the chutney will be done in no time..

This will be entry for weekend herb blogging event started by Kalyns Kitchen and this week hosted by Anna from Morsels and Musings.

For the chutney you need:

1 Silk squash / Beerakaya

1 small onion

4-6 green chillies

3-4 stalks of coriander

2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

For tempuring or tadka:

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds

1 tsp aavalu/mustard seeds
1 tsp minapappu/urad dal
few curry leaves
a dash of hing

Method Of Preparation:

Wash and lightly peel the silk squash and chop into 1 inch cubes

Chop onions into 1 inch pieces

Soak tamarind in warm water along with little salt

In a pan heat oil and add onions and green chillies

Saute for 30 sec and toss in silk squash cubes

DO NOT ADD SALT WHILE COOKING( Salt removes a lot of water from the squash )

Switch off the heat once the squash is completely cooked

Once the mixture is cooled, transfer to a blender and grind along with soaked tamarind and some coriander to either a coarse or smooth paste

YOU can adjust the spice by adding the chillies one by one

Mix the salt according to taste
In a small kadai/saute pan add oil followed by urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds
Once they start to pop, add hing and curry leaves
Add this seasoning to the ground chutney and mix well..

Serve this spicy nethi beerakaya pachadi / Silk squash chutney with steamed hot rice( with some home made ghee ) or chapathis. You can use regular beerakaya or ridgegourd instead of Silk squash, both the chutneys taste great!!!