Winter Melon Kootu | Kumblekaye Kootu

I had to use an English word for a dish with the letter W in the Journey Through The Cuisines,where I am doing an A-Z recipe posts through the cuisine of Karnataka. I was looking for something new with this alphabet but I could not even think properly in this hot, scorching climate, that I settled with Winter melon!

Winter melon, ash gourd, white pumpkin is called Kumblekaye in our language. This kootu is such a hot favorite that Lil Angel and me usually have a 'fight' as to who will get the most number of helpings!! And the Lil one always wins!

I have heard that addition of onion and garlic makes the dish more tasty, but if you try this dish, I am sure any one who thought so will definitely change his/ her mind!

If you have been following my posts this month, you would remember that I mentioned in the Soppina Kootu intro that there are 2 types of kootu that mom makes. Well, this is the second type where tamarind extract is added to accentuate the taste of the dish.


I used:

Kumblekaye / Wintermelon - 200 grams
Thogiri Bele / Toor dal-1/2 cup
Hunisay Hannu / Tamarind - a small gooseberry sized ball
Sasve / mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoons
Odadha Udin bele /Split white urad dal- 1/2 teaspoon
Kadalebele /Chana dal-1/2 teaspoon
Ona Menisinkaye / Red chilies-1,broken
Arisin Pudi / Turmeric powder - a pinch
Uppu / Salt - to taste
Kadale Kaye / Roasted Peanuts - a handful
Karibevu / Curry leaves - a few
Yennay / Oil- 1 tablespoon


For the spice mix:

Odadha Udin bele /Split white urad dal- 2 teaspoons
Kadalebele /Chana dal-1 teaspoon
Menthya/Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 teaspoon
Menasu/Peppercorns- 3/4 teaspoon
Ona Menasinakaye/Red chili -2
Thengin thuri / Grated coconut-4 teaspoons
Yennay / Oil- 1 teaspoon

Peel the ash gourd / wintermelon and remove the seeds. Chop into small pieces. Take it in a vessel and add 1/4 cup of water and pressure cook it for 2 whistles / 5-8 minutes / till fork tender. Do not drain the excess water. Keep the vessel aside.

Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup hot water and after 10 minutes, squeeze out the juice and keep aside.


Pressure cook the toor dal with 1 cup of water . After the pressure releases, mash well with a potato masher / maththu / back of a ladle.


Get the things ready for the spice mix. Heat oil in a pan and add all the ingredients except coconut. Roast till the dal turns brown.Switch off the flame and add coconut.Give it a stir and let it cool.Take cooled ingredients in a mixe jar .


Grind to a smooth paste adding a little water but take care not to make it watery. Add this paste to the cooked dal and mix well.


Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard, chana dal, urad dal, peanuts and curry leaves.When the mustard pops and dal turns brown, add the tamarind extract. When it comes to a boil, add the dal- vegetable mixture and some water if it is too thick.Add salt, mix well and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and the dish is ready to be served.


The day I prepared this kootu, I also prepared Jeerige Menasu Saaru, Upperi[Chips], Menthya Bajji [Fenugreek seeds]and Neer Majjige[Flavored Buttermilk] and mixed vegetable curry


Note:
This post also goes to the A-Z Challenge 






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