I grow ridge gourd in my garden kitchen and cooked with potatoes, this makes a fabulous dish.How you cut your vegetables is crucial to the overall taste of this dish and of any other dish. Perhaps what is not know beyond the kitchen is that the fibers of this vegetable are used to make the loofah sponge. This vegetable lends its self to soups and i dare say goes very well with stir fries. It also blends very well when cooked with dal. 

This dish calls for all the vegetables including the ridge gourd to be sliced very thinly. Lumpy food is very unappetizing to the eye. This dish is simple and easy too cook and uses every day ingredients that are freely available.

Ingredients
Ridge gourd – two, the length of your palm
Onions – one, very large and thinly sliced
Tomato – one, very thinly sliced
Potato- one, very large and very thinly sliced into semi circles
Mustard seeds – one teaspoon
Curry leaves – one sprig
Green chillies – two, finely chopped
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Chilly powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder- one teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste – one teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil

Method
Slice vegetables as indicated above. For the ridge gourd run a peeler down the sides of the vegetable to take off the stingy part and not the skin. Cut into thin roundels.

In a pot heat some oil and crackle the mustard. Add the chillies and the curry leaves. Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry for half a minute. Add in the onions and cook till they are translucent. At this stage you should drop in the tomatoes which need a stir( that’s all ).

Add the dry spice powders, salt and cook this on low heat for half a minute. Add a cup of water and the potatoes. Let the potatoes cook in the masala. If need be add more water till the potatoes cook. Ensure that there is a wee bit of liquid when you add the ridge gourd. Continue the cooking process for five minutes and turn off the gas. You want your vegetable to be soft but the potatoes to have a crunch when you bite into it