It is also known as Turai and Turiya. Turia is a dark green, ridged and tapering pretty vegetable. It has white pulp with white seeds embedded in spongy flesh.

Its hard skin is peeled off and chopped and cooked as desired. Turia can be stuffed with zesty filling made from spices like sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red chillies that are roasted and ground to a fine paste along with ginger, garlic, onions and tamarind, has a mingling of flavors :- sweet-spicy-tangy. A delicious stuffed curry that goes well with both rice and rotis.

Ridge Gourd is a flexible vegetable which is very extensively used in the Indian cuisine. It is bitter in flavor and some are sugary in taste. It is very rich in dietary fiber and developed with all the vital elements that include Vit-C, Zinc, Thiamin, Magnesium, Iron, Riboflavin and traces of another mineral.

Ridge gourd contains good content of cellulose and high in water content that helps to relieve from constipation and healing piles. It is good for enhancing eye sight. Ridge gourd juice is used to heal jaundice and to strengthen your immune system against any infection. It has blood-purifying properties.

Fresh Turia is best stored in a refrigerator. They can be wrapped in plastic bag and will stay crisp and firm for a week

Turia or ridge gourd is a healthy vegetable, loaded with fibers.

I like using this vegetable as you can combine it with so many other vegetables to make a nice shaak or sabji to go with chappatis, parathas, plain rice and even khichdi.

When you buy turias remember to buy the sturdy and fresh ones. Dry turias do not cook well. Initally, the chopped turias may seem a lot in quantity but remember it contains a lot of water.

While cooking, it will let out the water and the quantity will be reduced. Cook turias on its own or with vegetables like potatoes, beans, peas, spinach, fresh fenugreek or sweet corn etc. let your imagination run wild. I made turia with fresh peas and its one of the simplest vegetables or shaak to prepare.

It can also be used in pachadis (Raita), cooked in milk or with lentils and also with peanuts which is a specialty or slices of ridge gourd is dipped chickpea (besan) batter and deep fried in oil like chilli bhajjis.