Cinnamon Ridge Gourd Curry

Cinnamon Ridge Gourd Curry

This light and tasty Ridge Gourd vegetable curry is a Sri Lanka favorite. Also called Watakolu it is fast and simple to make. If you can't find any curry leaves not to worry but a stick of Ceylon Cinnamon is a must.

Most Sri Lankan's prefer this Watakolu curry with lots of gravy to eat with rice. Hence the generous helping of Coconut milk and water, but you can reduce the amount of water and coconut milk if you wish.

Infused with Ceylon Cinnamon it gives this dish a creamy savory taste that is a delight on your taste buds. Served with a side of spIcy meat and Rice it is fantastic.

  • Prep Time : 10 Minutes
  • Cook Times : 20 minutes
  • Yield _ 2 - 4 people
  • Ridge Gourd - 1 lb. (About 500g)
  • 1 piece (3 inch) Ceylon cinnamon stick
  • ½ medium sized onion sliced
  • ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp. raw curry powder
  • 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt to taste
  • ¾ - 1 cup thick coconut milk
  • ½ Cup water
  • 1 sprig curry leaves finely chopped (About 12 curry leaves)
  • 2-3 green chili sliced lengthwise (Optional)
  1. Wash & remove skin off the Ridge Gourd with a peeler until the dark green ridges are removed and the inner white skin is revealed.

    Sometimes people do not scrape off all the outer dark green skin. They just scrape off the rough outer edges. This works too if you like it that way but leaving some of the darker skin may make it a little bitter. You choice.

  2. Cut it into small 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide pieces.

  3. Put the cut Ridge Gourd into a cooking pan & mix all other ingredients mentioned above.

  4. Cook on low heat until ridge gourd is cooked. About 20 minutes. The reason you cook it on low heat over 20-25 minutes is to let the Cinnamon infuse into the curry. Also remember using high heat with coconut milk will destroy the taste of coconut milk and make it bubble up.

  5. Serve with plain white rice and a meat dish.