How to make jhinge chingri/shrimp with ridge gourd. Here I have a delicious Bengali style recipe for a pretty interesting vegetable. Well I definitely find this vegetable pretty interesting just because I haven’t cooked with it much but here I will be sharing one of my mum’s recipes. Yes it’s ridge gourd, in Bengali known as jhinge. I always loved the taste of this vegetable especially with shrimp. It’s super tasty and I was able to get a step by step guide from mum to cook this just the way she does.

Another reason why I’m cooking with ridge gourd is because my lovely neighbor ‘Kavitha’ gave me fresh ridge gourd from her garden!! I was totally surprised because I have never seen ridge gourd grown in the garden lol…I have seen them only at the supermarket…so of course I was super happy to receive the fresh ridge gourd and I couldn’t wait to cook something up with it.

The first thing that came to my mind was mum’s jhinge and chingri curry. Omg I remember that mouth watering taste and I was like mum give me your recipe right now lol.

More about jhinge chingri/shrimp with ridge gourd

So here we go!!! A super simple and surprisingly easy recipe. It’s amazing how with just a few simple ingredients and a few simple steps you can get a dish with so much flavor. The ridge gourd goes really well with the shrimp. The delicate flavors and textures of ridge gourd complement the shrimp perfectly. Shrimp of course has its own unique flavors and this vegetable is just the right balance.

You can go with any size shrimp, big or small. I went for the smaller shrimp just because it was available to me. With this curry you want to have the shrimp fully peeled to complement the textures. For ease of cooking I actually opted for the raw frozen shrimp that came deveined, head/tail off and peeled. Sometimes cooking is just made that much easier when things are a a little prepped for you.

I defrosted the shrimp by soaking it in water and then added a little turmeric powder and salt. Mix it up and add in some cold water to slightly soak the shrimp for 5 minutes. The turmeric and salt help to get rid of the fishy smell. Rinse the shrimp in clean water just before cooking.

How to prepare the ridge gourd

To prepare the ridge gourd/jhinge, firstly cut the ridge gourd into 3 pieces especially if its a long one. This will make it easier to handle. Then use a potato peeler to remove the outer skin. The ridge gourd is a little tricky to peel because of the tough skin and the ridges it has. I feel like the potato peeler takes off the skin in an even layer. You might have to go over it a few times to take the ridges off evenly. But try not to put too much pressure on the potato peeler when you get more closer to the flesh of the vegetable as it is pretty delicate inside and you don’t want to peel anything but the skin.

See pics here to see how I cut up the vegetable. I sliced right through the middle across the length and then cut them up into roughly 2 inch pieces.

Cooking process

Cooking the curry up is easy peasy…In a small/medium sized pot add in cooking oil and sauté chopped onions with garlic paste. I also add the salt at the same time too. Just feel like it speeds up the cooking process of the onions. Once the onions start to turn to a golden brown color add in a little hot water to cover just the surface of the onions. The water helps to soften the onions, you really just need to add enough to cover the onions. The reason why I do this step is to ensure a overall smooth gravy. After a few minutes of cooking the onions use a potato masher to mash the onions so they become almost purée like.

Some people would go ahead and use puréed onions right at the beginning but I feel like doing the steps of using chopped onions and sautéing the onions give the curry a better flavor.

Once the onions are mashed up it’s time to add in the spices. You only need a little really so I add a teaspoon of turmeric, a teaspoon of chili, a teaspoon of coriander and half a teaspoon of cumin powder. This quantity of spices is the perfect amount for a curry cooked with ridge gourd and shrimp. When cooking with ridge gourd you want to keep the consistency of the gravy medium/light so the spices balance out too. Too much spices will give it a heavy gravy and will alter the taste of the vegetable itself.

Cook the spices for 1-2 minutes until the oil comes to the surface. Then add in the ridge gourd/jhinge and stir well. Cook the ridge gourd on a medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir in between and then add in the shrimp. Give everything a good stir and cook covered for 5 minutes. The shrimp will release water and help to cook everything together. Here you can add 1/2 cup of hot water to give the curry a medium consistency. Cook uncovered for another 8-10 minutes adding some fresh green chilies and fresh chopped cilantro to finish the curry off. There you have it easy jhinge chingri, ridge gourd with shrimp curry.

Serving and storing jhinge chingri/shrimp curry with ridge gourd

This curry taste best when served with steamed white rice. The simplicity of the curry with rice gives an authentic taste of Bengali cooking.

The curry will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in fact tastes even better after the first day.

Check out more shrimp recipes!

Prawn chingri curry

Shrimp Biryani