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White Pumpkin Kootu-Ash Gourd Kootu

April 26, 2011 by PadhuSankar 30 Comments

This is a typical South Indian (Tamil Brahmin) recipe. I prepare ash gourd ( poosanikai) kootu in many ways, today I am sharing the one I prepare using tamarind called poosanikai puli kootu. This is very common in my home and goes well as a side dish with rice and chapati. It is easy on the digestive system and requires just 1-2 tsp of oil. It is  great for those looking to reduce weight. Ash gourd also known as winter melon is very low in calories and is used to treat obesity. So what are you waiting for- try this simple and delicious poosanikai kootu and enjoy it with rice or roti.

Ashgourd kootu-white pumpkin kootu-poosanikai puli kootu

Ashgourd Kootu-Poosanikai Puli Kootu


Ashgourd Kootu-Poosanikai Puli Kootu

 Prep Time : 10 mins

 Cook Time : 20 mins 
 Serves: 4
 Recipe Category: Side Dish-Kootu
 Recipe Cuisine: Tamil Brahmin
 Author:Padhu Sankar

   Ingredients needed

   Ash Gourd (white pumpkin) – 2 cups chopped
   Tur dal – 1/4 cup
   Tamarind – small gooseberry sized ball
   Brown or white Chick peas (channa/garbanzo beans) – 1/4 cup
   Turmeric powder – a pinch
   Salt as required

   Roast and grind

   Bengal gram/kadalai paruppu – 1 tbsp
   Coriander seeds/ malli -1 tbsp
   Dried Red chilli -3
   Raw rice – 1 tsp
   Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp

  For the seasoning

   Oil -1 tsp
   Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
   Hing/asafoetida – a pinch
   Curry leaves – a sprig

Preparation


Wash, peel the skin and chop pumpkin into cubes. Cook it in a little water until soft.

Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water and extract its juic and discard the pulp.

Pressure cook tur dal with a pinch of turmeric powder. Mash it and keep it aside.

If using dried chick peas, soak it overnight and pressure cook with a little salt and keep it aside. (I usually keep chickpeas in a small cup/vessel along with tur dal and pressure cook to save time.)

Heat 1/2 tsp of oil and roast bengal gram, coriander seeds, red chilli and raw rice until dal turns golden brown. Then add grated coconut and saute for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and leave it to cool. Then grind it to a fine paste and keep it aside.

ash gourd kootu-poosanikai kootu recipe

Method


Heat oil, add mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. When mustard seeds splutters, add the cooked pumpkin pieces.

Add tamarind water, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder.

Boil for sometime till the raw smell of the tamarind goes, then add the ground paste, cooked tur dal and cooked chick peas.

Simmer and cook for a 4-5 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Check for salt. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or chapati.

Ladies finger kootu (vendakkai kootu)

Plantain flower Puli kootu

Snake gourd kootu- Pudalangai poricha kootu

Keerai Kootu

Sorakkai kootu

Vazhaithandu Mor kootu

Chow chow kootu

Check out more Poriyal-Kootu Varieties

Meet you all again with more interesting recipes, until then it is bye from Padhu of Padhuskitchen

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Capsicum Gravy for Rice,Chapati-Capsicum Masala Curry Recipe

Filed Under: Poriyal and Kootu Varieties, Uncategorized, Weight loss recipes Tagged With: Health Dish, Pumpkin, Tamil Brahmin recipes, Uncategorized, vegan recipes




Previous Post: « Pineapple Rasam-Pineapple Rasam recipe-How to make Pineapple rasam
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Prathibha

    April 29, 2011 at 7:24 am

    I made white pumpkin majjige huli today….urs look yumm too

    Reply
  2. Biny Anoop

    April 29, 2011 at 8:25 am

    wow koottu cuury looking gud….

    Reply
  3. Priya

    April 29, 2011 at 8:36 am

    Yumm, wat a super inviting kootu,delicious!

    Reply
  4. kaveri

    April 29, 2011 at 9:17 am

    Kootu looks delicious…lovely presentation…

    Reply
  5. Sonia (Nasi Lemak Lover)

    April 29, 2011 at 9:39 am

    This look good and nice.

    Reply
  6. GEETHA ACHAL

    April 29, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    Thanks for sharing…Love it…

    Reply
  7. savitha ramesh

    April 29, 2011 at 12:45 pm

    my all time fav.

    Reply
  8. Nitha

    April 29, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    This is my fav too…

    Reply
  9. Sunanda

    April 29, 2011 at 1:28 pm

    Recipe is new to me.. will try this out sometime.. loved your decoration…

    Reply
  10. Sensible Vegetarian

    April 29, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    Lovely delicious kootu, lovely clicks.

    Reply
  11. Rani acharyulu

    April 29, 2011 at 2:00 pm

    Delicious koottu,i love this recipe.Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  12. Suja

    April 29, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    Kootu looks so yummy,thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  13. jeyashrisuresh

    April 29, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    we also make this in my in laws place on all festival days.very nicely presented too

    Reply
  14. Reshmi Mahesh

    April 29, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    Delicious kootu and very nice presentation…

    Reply
  15. divya

    April 29, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    Yum yum…looks delicious…

    Reply
  16. Nandini

    April 29, 2011 at 3:48 pm

    My fav kootu…This is very delicious…

    Reply
  17. Suman Singh

    April 29, 2011 at 4:23 pm

    Sabzi looks great and yummy!

    Reply
  18. Vimitha Anand

    April 29, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    Kootu looks so yum… Havent tried this way but sure will give it a go…

    Reply
  19. Swathi

    April 29, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    Ashgourd kootu looks awesome delicious.

    Reply
  20. Cham

    April 29, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    Tasty kootu and love the masala!

    Reply
  21. SravsCulinaryConcepts

    April 30, 2011 at 2:05 am

    This kootu looks so delicious and wonderful !!

    Reply
  22. மகி

    April 30, 2011 at 2:29 am

    Kootu looks nice! Those ash gourd flowers are pretty!:)

    Reply
  23. Prathima Rao

    April 30, 2011 at 4:15 am

    Delicious kootu!!!! Very well presented!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

    Reply
  24. Ambreen

    April 30, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    This sounds wonderful. Lovely presentation!

    Reply
  25. SinFoodie

    April 30, 2011 at 8:00 pm

    The recipe looks very delicious. U have presented it so well.

    Reply
  26. Ananda Rajashekar

    May 2, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    oh those cute pots how do find all those cute stuffs!:)

    Reply
  27. Subha Vivek

    April 24, 2012 at 11:04 pm

    A big wow for the poosanikai flower

    Reply
  28. Inigo Fernando

    March 20, 2013 at 3:17 am

    made this today. came out well. simple, easy to cook and tasty. a surprise to my wife before she woke up today. thanks padhuskitchen
    – inigo fernando

    Reply
  29. Uma K

    December 18, 2015 at 11:13 am

    Hi Padhu, made this kootu with a twist. added cumin seeds while roasting bengal gram dal and coconut. Loved the taste and my in-laws enjoyed it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. So far ur recipes never failed me. 🙂

    Reply
  30. AARTHY

    April 10, 2020 at 1:05 am

    Amazing recipe, loved the taste and the simple preparation and ingredients. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

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Meet Padhu, the Chef, the photographer, recipe developer and web designer behind Padhuskitchen which features Simple Indian Vegetarian recipes, healthy recipes, kids friendly recipes, Indian festival recipes, traditional South Indian Vegetarian ...

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