Bottle Gourd Poricha Kootu

Kootu in Tamil, according to Wiki, is a dish made with vegetables and lentils in a semi liquid form. Such a simple explanation for such an elegant form of food! I shall blog three such Kootu recipes which we enjoy at home as part of BM #28. 

Poricha Kootu, as I understand, is when urad dal and pepper are freshly ground to flavor the kootu.
So whatever vegetable you use with this combination of masala, it qualifies as poricha kootu. Please correct me if I am wrong, though.

Ingredients - 

Moong Dal 3/4 cup
Bottle Gourd, chopped 1 1/2 cups
Salt to taste
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Seasoning (Oil 2 tsp, Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp, Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp, Curry leaves few, Asafoetida 1/8 tsp)

To Roast and Grind - 
Red Chilli 2 Nos 
Black Pepper 1 tsp
Jeera ½ tsp
Urad Dhal 2 tsp
Coconut 2 Tbsp

Method Of Preparation -

Pressure cook bottle gourd and moong dal until they are cooked well. 

Roast all the ingredients listed under 'roast and grind' separately and grind them adding a little water to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a heated pan, add oil and the rest of the seasoning. After the mustard seeds pop, add the ground masala paste and let it cook for a minute or two. Add a little water if needed.

Add the cooked dal and bottle gourd mixture to the simmering paste. Sprinkle salt and turmeric and let the mixture simmer. 

Remove from fire and garnish with coriander leaves if preferred.

I had to squeeze in some lime juice to appeal to my taste buds.

Please note that the traditional Tamilian Kootu usually (there are some exceptions, though) doesn't have any sour agent be it tamarind or lime/lemon juice. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28.

Preparation Time 35 min
Serves 4-5