Ridge gourd is a popular vegetable used in Indian cooking. It comes in two variants – one with a smooth surface and other with a ridged surface. Locally, it goes by various names like “Turai” in Hindi, “Jhinge” in Bengali, “Beerakaya” in Telugu and “Peerkangaai” in Tamil. It is a green fleshy vegetable having an inherently bland taste. It is commonly used to prepare many regular dishes such as pakoras, sambhar, dal, chutney and raita, after being adequately seasoned with spices, to enhance its flavour.