Beerakaya Kandi Kaya Kura

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Beerakaya kandi kaya kura is a simple, healthy, nutritious daily vegetable curry from South India. It goes well with both rice & roti. Saute beerakaya and kandi kaya with green chilies, garlic and basic tempering ingredients for a finger licking curry.

Ridge gourd is beerakaya in Telugu and turai in Hindi. Pigeon peas are kandi kaya or kandi ginjalu in Telugu and dried version of split pigeon peas is toor dal / tuvar dal / arhar dal. Ridge gourd pigeon peas curry Indian style is a must try under 30 minutes recipe.

This post was originally published in May 2011. It is republished with new content and images.

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About the recipe
How to cook frozen Pigeon Peas
Ingredients
Instructions
Serve & Store
Substitutes
Expert Tips
FAQ
Ridge Gourd Recipes
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About the recipe

Ridge gourd dal (Indian lentils) is a very common dish in India but is a rarity with fresh peas. However, beerakaya alshantha kaya is a very popular dish in Northern Telangana and today’s recipe is inspired from that.

Fresh alshanta kaya, which is fresh black eyed peas or cowpeas is a seasonal produce. Here in the US, we find it sometimes in Indian stores or a few farmers markets when in season. Whenever I can source it, I make beerakaya alshantha kaya koora.

When it is not in season, I replace alshantha kaya with frozen kandi ginjalu. You can make beerakaya curry with dried or frozen black eyed peas but I am not very fond of it. Hence frozen pigeon peas come to my rescue and make beerakaya kandi ginjala kura.

Frozen pigeon peas is available in most Indian stores as tuvar lilva or order online from Weee (triple 'e') or Quicklly (double 'l'), if these sites deliver in your area. Depending on the location, you can find frozen pigeon peas in Walmart, Sams Club, Kroger, other local grocery stores and in Latin American & Caribbean stores.

How to cook frozen Pigeon Peas

Pigeon peas, like any other frozen peas & lima beans, are handy and easy to cook. However, unlike green peas and lima beans, we need to pre-cook pigeon peas when using in a curry. You can cook on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Heat some water in a saucepan and when water comes to a boil, add pigeon peas and cook for 4-5 minutes until peas are cooked but firm. Rest of the cooking is done along with the curry. In the microwave, cook time is 4 minutes. Depending on the quantity, cook time will vary.

Ingredients

Ridge Gourd - Use tender gourd.

Pigeon Peas - frozen or fresh peas if you can source it. I get frozen ones from the Indian store. Depending on the location, you can find these even in Walmart, Kroger, Latin and Caribbean grocery stores.

Chili - use green chilies and you may also use little chili powder, if you wish.

Garlic - use crushed or ground garlic. I use it only in tempering but adding some towards the end, 2-3 minutes before turning off the flame enhances the flavor of the curry. And garlic is healthy for you, so be generous.

Milk - gives the curry a sweetish taste and it is optional. You do not need too much as in palu posina beerakaya koora but just a couple of tablespoons goes a long way. Skip to keep it a vegan recipe.

Other Ingredients - oil, onion, curry leaves, cumin seeds, salt, turmeric and kothmir (cilantro).

Instructions

Cook tuvar lilva in hot water for 4-5 minutes until soft or microwave for 4 minutes, discard the water and keep aside until needed.

Wash and peel beerakaya. Cut it into half, lengthwise and then cut each into ½” pieces. Depending on how fat the gourd is, you may have to cut the gourd into 4 pieces lengthwise and then cut it into ½”pieces.

Sauteing onion, green chili and curry leaves.

Step 1 - Heat oil in a skillet or a pan, add cumin seeds and let it change color. Then add curry leaves, green chilies, onions, and sauté until onions are translucent.

Spices and onion mixture in a frying pan.

Step 2 -Then add garlic and sauté until garlic is lightly roasted, followed by turmeric, chili powder and salt. Mix well.

Step 3 -Now add beerakaya and pre-cooked tuvar lilva. Mix well.

Preparation of ridge gourd pigeon peas curry.

Step 4 - Saute for a minute or two until spices coat beerakaya. If using milk, add at this point. Cover and cook on medium - medium low flame for 5-8 minutes or until the ridge gourd is soft.

Almost tender beerakaya kandi kaya in nonstick pan.

Step 5 -Remove the cover and continue to cook until all the moisture evaporates. Keep stirring intermittently to avoid burning. Reduce the heat, if necessary.

Step 6 -Once the water evaporates, fry beerakaya kandi ginjala kura for a few minutes, add chopped kothmir / cilantro and remove from heat.

Serve & Store

Serve beerakaya kandi kaya kura with rice and roti. Store leftover in an air tight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on stovetop before serving.

Substitutes

Replace tuvar lilva with frozen black eyed peas or dry black eyed peas. When using dry black eyed peas, soak overnight or 6-8 hours, cook until soft but firm and then add to the curry. Recipe is similar beerakaya alsantha kaya kura.

Expert Tips

Use tender ridge gourd.
Pre-cook frozen pigeon peas just until soft but still firm and then add to the curry.
When beerakaya is not tender, you need not pre-cook tuvar lilva. Cook these together when preparing the curry. Or precook both before preparing the ridge gourd pigeon peas curry.

FAQ

How to cook frozen pigeon peas?

Cook pigeon peas on stove top or in the microwave. On stovetop, bring water to a boil, add frozen peas and cook until tender. In the microwave, 4-6 minutes or as needed.

Do you thaw pigeon peas before cooking?

No. Cook frozen pigeons peas directly and do not thaw.

Ridge Gourd Recipes

Apart from beerakaya alshantha kaya koora and ridge gourd pigeon peas curry, I also make beerakaya koora a plain turai subji, turai (beerakaya) egg bhurji and beerakaya royyala koora. Beerakaya royyala koora is a popular dish from Andhra cuisine.

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