Thursday, September 4, 2008

Bottle Gourd in Lentil coconut gravy curry ~ Dudhi Kootu ~ Lauki dhal

Kootu refers to a type of curry that is commonly prepared in southern India.It includes one vegetable usually from the squash,melon or gourd family like white squash,white melon, bottle gourd or zuchini,at least one type of lentil and the flavor for this curry is imparted from coconut,cumin seeds and dry red chillies. This is not a very spicy curry though it could be made that way if you want and is usually served with a side of sambar or rasam and rice.It is not supposed to be runny,but at the same time it is not supposed to be too dry either,the gravy for the kootu is on the thickish side.

What I love about this dish aside from the simplicity in its taste is the three types of lentils,one cooked and mashed, another with a slight bite and the third used in tempering with a crunch all offering different textures and tastes. This curry is also delicious to eat on its own or can be served with indian flat breads like Roti/Chapatti

Dudhi Kootu ~ Lauki ki sabzi ~ Bottle gourd in Coconut lentil gravy curry

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Dudhi Kootu
4 cups of bottle gourd (peeled and cut into small 1/2 inch pieces)
1/2 cup of split pigeon peas (Tur dhal/ tuvaram parappu )
1/4 cup of split chick pea lentil (Chana dhal/ kadalai parappu)
1/3 cup grated coconut (nariyal/ thengai poo)
3-4 dry red chillies (or according to taste)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/ jeeragam)
2 cups of water or as needed
salt to taste (namak/ uppu)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/ manjal podi)

For tempering
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai/ kadagu)
1 tsp split black gram lentil (udad dhal/ ulatham parappu)
a pinch of asafoetida (hing/ perungayam) (optional) 

Optional garnish
1 sprig of curry leaves (about 7 to 8 leaves)  (kadi patha/ karvapillai) 

Pressure cook the split pigeon peas with sufficient water until soft.  This can also be cooked on the stove top or in the microwave until soft and mushy. Mash the cooked lentil well and keep aside.

Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and dry red chillies adding very little water to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
y bottomed pan,add the split yellow chick pea at the bottom,then add the cubed bottle gourd, 2 cups of water, salt to taste, turmeric powder and cook on low to medium heat until both the lentil and the bottle gourd are soft but not mushy.

Add the cooked red gram lentil, the ground paste and mix well. Let this simmer for a few minutes. Adjust salt to taste.
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Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and split black gram lentil, when the mustard seeds start spluttering and the black gram lentil starts turning red add pinch of asafoetida if using, stir once or twice then add this oil+mustard seeds+lentil combo to the cooked bottle gourd and mix well.

If planning to garnish, then tear curry leaves into smaller pieces and add on top of the curry. Mix well.
Serve hot. Serves 2 to 3

25 comments :

Unknown said...

looks nice..i too make it the same way!!!

NKP said...

Sounds like a great vegetarian curry. We don't get bottle gourd but we have no shortage of zucchini.
Looks tasty, would you serve this with rice?

Cham said...

Yummy looking kootu, we call it araithu vitha kootu, i made it for bottle gourd event :)

Sukanya Yogesh said...

I use yellow split moong dal instead of Toor dal. The kootu looks so yummy. I love the chana dal in the kootu, tastes so good. Thanks for reminding me. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

Indian Khana said...

Hey kootu looking nice..sometime make this way too (without the channa dal) and it's in my blog too:)

ST said...

Looks delicious I too make same way....

Sunshinemom said...

Second kootu recipe today! I just saw one at Vani's! I love these too with rasam on the side and some hot rice - great combo:) Hope to see you in my September theme i.e. green:)

Deepthi Shankar said...

doodhi is oneofmy fav veggies .. love the kootu

Unknown said...

I make this with Milk. never tried with dal - looks good.

Laavanya said...

This is exactly how I make my chow chow kootu :) I can see how it would work really well with laukis too...with the bite of the channa dhal.

Srividya said...

We make this with moong dal. Will try with chana dal and toor. :)

Anonymous said...

I love your kootu..it looks so delicious! :-D

Sum Raj said...

delicious entry

Srikitchen said...

u have an award in my blog!

Uma said...

I love this kootu. Looks delicious Usha!

eatme_delicious said...

Ooo I've never heard of this dish before but I'd like to try it!

Lore said...

Oh my, this looks more than delicious! I've never heard of dudhi kootu before but you make it sound so good with those three types of lentils, lovely texture Usha.

Dershana said...

Love kootu :-) but generally make them with snake gourd or carrots. this combo is new, gonna try.

Usha said...

Thanks for dropping by Sowmya :)


Thanks for visiting Natashya,this tastes very good with zucchini too and yes we serve this with plain rice or it can even be served with flat bread

Usha said...

Hey Cham,yep I missed that event,will check out your recipe of this dish soon too :)


Thanks Sukanya same to you, have not tried this with moong dhal will try that way sometime :)

Priti will check out your recipe soon:)

Usha said...

Thanks Sireesha :)


Thanks Sunshinemom,hope I can come up with something green for your event,I have an idea lets see how that works out.....

Thanks Vegetable Platter :)

Usha said...

Thanks for dropping by Shillu,milk in kootu sounds interesting :)


Thanks Laavanya :)

Usha said...

Do try it Srividya,it really is delicious this way :)


Thanks Dindintonight :)


Thanks Suma :)

Usha said...

Thanks Srilekha !


Thanks Uma :)


Thanks Eatme_Delicious :)

Usha said...

Thanks Lore :)


Thanks Dershana :)

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