Ingredients

Ridge guard curry

1. Oil – 5 to 6 tbsp
2. Onion – 200 gms
3. Tomato – 200 gms
4. Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tbsp
5. Cloves – 5
6. Green cardamom – 4
7. Cinnamon stick – 2
8. Chinese salt – 1 tsp
9. Chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
10. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
11. Garam masala – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
12. Salt - as per taste
13. Water – 1 cup
14. Ridge gourd (Turi) – 400 gms
15. Coriander leaves (chopped) – handful

Prawns curry

16. Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp
17. Prawns – 250 gms
18. Onion (small, chopped) – 1
19. Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tsp
20. Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
21. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
22. Salt - as required
23. Water – 1/4 cup

Method

Ridge gourd curry

1. Preheat the vessel with oil, when hot add cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon stick and onion, sauté till it is soft and golden colour.
2. Add ginger and garlic paste, sauté for 2min and add chopped tomatoes and all the spices (powders) except garam masala, sauté for 2 to 3 mins.
3. Add water immediately.
4. Cook till all the spices are cooked and tomatoes have become soft and formed like a base curry, for 5 to 8min by closing the lid.
5. Add ridge gourd (turi, beerakaya) and cook for 15min by closing the lid, till it is cooked well, mix in between.
6. When the ridge gourd is cooked and forms like a curry, simmer for 10min switch it off.

Prawn curry

7. Preheat the vessel with oil, when hot add onion, ginger and garlic paste and all the remaining ingredients except prawns, sauté for 2min and add water for the base curry.
8. Cook the spices till the rawness of spices is gone and the liquid is reduced, add prawns (when the prawns are added, it starts leaving water) mix and cook for 5min, on medium flame without closing the lid.
9. When the prawns are pink and cooked and the oil has left on the prawns, switch off.

Combining ridge gourd and prawn curry

10. Transfer the prawns with its liquid (if left) to the ridge gourd curry, mix well.
11. Cook on medium flame, if liquid is more, till you get your consistancy or just cook for 3 to 4 min on medium flame and add chopped coriander leaves and garam masla, mix, simmer for 10min by closing the lid. Switch it off and let it rest for 5min.
12. Serve hot with plain rice or chapathi (roti) and dal(tomato dal, palak dal, green chillies dal) with a drizzle of ghee on top of plain rice and dal, the combination goes well for me.

Notes

1. You can add coriander powder and cumin powder also for the taste and adjust with the spices to make it mild or spicy.
2. If the liquid is more in the curry, cook for some time till you get that curry consistency.
3. If you want the prawns and ridge gourd to be like bhuna ghost (semi fried curry means thick curry or gravy will be attached to the lamb or vegetables), cook till all the liquid is absorbed in the ridge gourd and prawn curry, combine and roast well by adding little oil around it to get that glaze (restaurant style).
4. Add water as per the curry consistency you required, as ridge gourd (beerakaya, turi) starts leaving water and also prawns.