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:

• The quantity of tamarind extract added will depend on how tart the tamarind is. The dish should
  not taste very tangy like Gojju but you should just be able to feel its
  presence. So if you are unsure, add half and before removing from heat,
  taste and add more if needed. Let it simmer for 5 minutes and then
  remove from heat.

This post also goes to the A-Z Challenge 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63