Another typical tambram food, which I made for the first time for the sumangali pooja. This was really good with a medley of tastes. A keeper which I plan to make often.

Pooshnikai Kootu aka Ash Gourd Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized pooshnikai or as gourd, chopped into small pieces with the seeds and fibres removed
• 3/4 cup toor dal or red gram dal, cooked with a pinch of turmeric till mushy
• 1/3 cup chana dal or bengal gram dal, cooked with a pinch of turmeric
• 2 tsps coriander seeds
• 1.5 tsps bengal gram dal
• 6-8 dried red chillies
• 4-5 tbsps grated coconut
• a lime sized ball of tamarind, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and the pulp squeezed and the juice removed and kept aside. Alternatively use 2-3 tsps of tamarind paste
• 2 tsps oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal or black gram dal
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• In a large pan, take the chopped ash gourd and cook it with just enough water to cover the vegetable. Add some salt and turmeric powder.
• When the ash gourd is half cooked, add the juice of the tamarind and let it cook till the raw smell of the tamarind goes away.
• In the meantime, in another pan, with 1 tsp oil, fry the bengal gram dal,  coriander seeds, dried red chillies and the coconut until the coconut looses all it’s moisture and becomes dry. Blend this coconut mixture into a smooth paste. Add a bit of water if needed to do this.
• When the ash gourd is cooked, add the cooked toor dal to the ash gourd and let it mix well. Bring it to a boil and then add the blended coconut paste and let it boil for around 5 minutes
• In a seperate pan, heat the balance oil and when warm, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chillies and stir for a few seconds till the urad dal is brown the curry leaves are crisp.
• Season the kootu with this and remove from the gas. Serve hot with a rice of your choice or any flatbread.