Heerekayi Tovve | ಹೀರೆಕಾಯಿ ತೊವ್ವೆ

Friday, March 12, 2021

Heerekayi Tovve Is An Authentic Kannada Brahmin Style Dal Made with Ridge Gourd, Moong Dal

What Is Tovve (ತೊವ್ವೆ)

Tovve (ತೊವ್ವೆ) is a South Indian equivalent of Dal. It is such an intrinsic part of Kannada cuisine, Kannada Brahmin cuisine in particular.

No festive meal is complete with some Tovve on top of steamed rice & a drizzle of ghee on top.

One cannot begin eating a meal with the Ghee drizzle on top of Tovve :) If you have ever eaten a traditional banana leaf meal in a Kannada Brahmin household, you can relate to this

Types Of Tovve (ತೊವ್ವೆ)

Tovve can me made with just plain dal, or with vegetables.

Some of the commonly used vegetables are Ridge Gourd (ಹೀರೆಕಾಯಿ), Chow Chow, Spinach, Cabbage. But Ridge Gourd Tovve (ಹೀರೆಕಾಯಿ ತೊವ್ವೆ) is more popular & so delicious

Also Tovve can be made in 2 ways, one with just vegetables & dal with a tempering of

mustard seeds, asafoetida & Green Chilies & some grated coconut to finish it too

The other method is making a spice paste with grated coconut, green chilies, cumin seeds & coriander leaves (which gives it that slight green color)

How To Make Heerekayi Tovve

Serves 4-5

You Will Need:

1 large or 2 medium sized Ridge Gourd/Heerekayi
1/3 cup Moong Dal
1 Tomato
A large pinch of Turmeric
Salt

For the Coconut Paste

1/4 cup grated coconut
5 Green Chilies
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
A handful of fresh coriander leaves

To Temper

1 tablespoon Ghee
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
A big fat pinch of Asafoetida/Hing
4-5 Curry Leaves

How To:

Pressure Cook 1/3 Cup of Moong Dal in 2 cups of water & a pinch of Turmeric for 1 whistle

Using a peeler, Peel the rough ridges of the Ridge Gourd & dice them.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, add a cup of water & diced ridge gourd. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt & cook until the ridge gourd is tender .. It should take 6-7 minutes

Meanwhile, Add all the ingredients listed for the coconut paste into a mixer jar, Add a dash of water & grind into a smooth paste

Once the ridge gourd is cooked, Add chopped tomatoes, Cooked dal & the coconut paste

Add some salt & bring it to a boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes

Turn off the heat. Temper with mustard seeds, Asafoetida & Curry Leaves. Pour over the Tovve & mix well

Heerekayi Tovve tastes best with steamed rice. It can be eaten with chapatis as well

NOTE:

Adding Tomatoes is optional.

You can skip adding coriander leaves while grinding