Simple and delicious kootu prepared with bottle gourd / Sorakkai and moong dal, that goes well with hot rice and papadam / appalam.

Ingredients:

Serves 4 to 5

• 1 medium – Bottle gourd / Sorakkai / Lauki (chop into small cubes)
• 1/4 cup – Split green gram / Paasi paruppu / Moong dal
• 1 no – Onion (chopped finely)
• 1 no – Tomato (chopped)
• 1/4 tsp – Turmeric powder
• 1 no – Garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp – Sesame oil
• Salt to taste

For grinding:

• 1/2 cup – Coconut grated
• 2 to 4 no’s – Dry red chillies ( or add as needed)
• 1 tsp – Cumin seeds / jeera

Seasonings:

• 2 tsp – Oil
• 1/4 tsp – Mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp – Split black gram / Ulunthu
• 5 to 6 no’s – Fresh curry leaves
• 2 pinches – Asafoetida

Preparation method:

1. Peel off the bottle gourd skin and chop into small cubes, set it aside.
2. Pressure cook washed moong dal, turmeric powder, garlic chopped and sesame oil, for about 3 whistles or until well cooked.
3. Take a blender, add coconut grated, dry red chillies and cumin seeds, blend it to a fine paste, set it aside.
4. Heat little oil in a pan, add chopped onion and saute until translucent. Followed by chopped tomato, saute until mushy.
5. Now add chopped bottle gourd and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are half cooked. add cooked moong dal, coconut masala and required salt, mix well thoroughly.
6. Cover with a lid and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until well cooked. Meanwhile heat a pan, add oil and season with items given in the list for seasoning. Pour this seasoning over the cooked kootu and switch off the stove.

Notes:

• You may increase or decrease the number of dry red chillies as per your spice level.