Jhinge Chechki, a Bengali dish that we cook in two ways, with or without prawns. Served as a side dish, a Chechki can be made with different vegetables, eg. pumpkin. Here, the Chechki cooked with a healthy, green vegetable Ridge gourd (jhinge) and small prawns tastes delicious with steamed rice or roti. Easy to prepare, like always, the addition of prawns makes everything taste better. If you’ve never tried cooking Ridge gourd this way, then you must do it now. 🙂
Jhinge Chechki / Stir-fried Ridge gourd with Prawns
Jhinge Chechki, a Bengali dish that we cook in two ways, with or without prawns. Served as a side dish, this tastes delicious with steamed rice or roti.
Ingredients
- 4-5 Jhinge/Ridge gourd (medium-sized)
- 150g- Prawns (small or medium-sized)
- ¼ tsp- Nigella seeds/Kalojire/Kalonji
- Mustard oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp- Sugar
- Turmeric powder
- ½ cup- Fresh grated coconut
- 1-2- Green chilli (halved)
Instructions
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Mix the freshly washed prawns with ½ tsp turmeric powder and salt, keep aside.
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Cut small portions off from both the ends of jhinge/ridge gourds. Scrape the skin of the ridge gourds with a knife to remove the hard areas. Wash and cut them into halves lengthwise, then chop each half horizontally into slices, keep them aside.
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Heat 4 tbsp oil in a deep frying pan/kadai. Add the prawns and sauté over medium heat until golden, remove and keep them aside.
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Next, in the rest of the oil temper with nigella seeds, once it splutters add the sliced jhinge/ridge gourds, ½ tsp turmeric powder, and salt. Mix well, cover and cook over medium heat until the ridge gourds become tender, keep stirring in between.
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Add sugar and coconut, mix well. Cook over low heat for another 2-3 minutes. Add the prawns, mix well. Remove from the heat, and transfer to a serving bowl.
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Serve hot as a side dish with dal-rice or roti.
Recipe Notes
For a vegetarian version, you can cook Jhinge Chechki without the prawns.
