PULINCURRY (Ash Gourd / Kumbalangha / Poosinikka cooked in Tur Dal gravy)

Pulincurry is an easy dish prepared as an immediate solution due to the ever increasing confusion that ladies have on a daily basis, which is - WHAT TO PREPARE TODAY??!! 

This is a very easy to make dish and a tasty one too, at the same time very nutritious too due to the immense health benefits associated with both Ash gourd and Dal... 

Ingredients:

Tur Dal – 100 gms

Ash gourd (Kumblangha in Malayalam /  Vella poosinikkai in Tamil) – 250 gms

Green chilly  - 2 nos

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Tamarind - Lemon size

Chilly powder - 1 pinch

Shallots - 5-6 nos. In case Shallots are not available, onions can also be used. Shallots, however give a distinct taste.

Curry leaves - 8-10 nos.

Dry red chilly - 4-6nos

Process:

Put the dal into the cooker, add two glasses (around 300 ml) of water and cook well. Keep aside.

Clean and soak the tamarind in 50ml of warm water. Normal water can also used to soak tamarind but the advantage with warm water is that it helps in complete of extraction of the tamarind pulp in less time. Keep the soaked tamarind aside.

Ash Gourd chopped into cubes of around 1.5 cm

Chop the Ash guard into small cubes of  equal size approx.1.5 cm each side. Cut the green chilly vertically. 

Put into a vessel. Add two glasses of water. Add chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste and cook it in a low flame.

Once the ash gourd pieces are cooked, add the cooked dal into it and mix thoroughly.

Extract  tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind by squeezing it with your hands. Pour the extracted  tamarind pulp into the cooked vegetable –dal mixture.  Add salt to taste.

Allow it to boil in a low flame and keep aside. Check for consistency, in case it looks too thick, pour additional water.

Shallots Chopped

Tempering:

Cut the shallots into small circular pieces.

Take a small frying pan and pour two table spoons of oil into it. Once the oil is hot, put one teaspoon of mustard. Keep dry red chilies, curry leaves and chopped shallots ready. 

Wait till the mustard splutters. Once all the mustard splutters, add the broken red chilies, stir fry and add the curry leaves and chopped shallots into it. Stir till it gets sauteed and till the chopped shallots/onion turn light brown.

Pour these into the cooked vegetable-dal mixture and mix it thoroughly.

Pulincurry is ready. It serves around 5 members of the family…

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