A rich, tangy peerkangai thol chutney, or ridge gourd skin chutney, is the ultimate example of best out of ‘waste’. The “Thol” in Tamil refers to the skin. A traditional delicacy locally, it might sound absurd to use the skin of a gourd vegetable to make a chutney. But trust us, it is lip-smacking.

At the café, we save up the ridge gourd peel, when we make some ridge gourd sabzi or sambhar.
– In a pan, saute the ridge gourd skin with some ginger, garlic, dried red chillies and a small ball of tamarind.
– Cook until aromatic, and grind it in the blender, to make a chutney.
– Finally, temper some mustard seeds in oil, and add it to the chutney.
It’s creamy and tangy, and goes perfectly with idly, dosa or upma!