Bottlegourd in coconut gravy / Suraikkai Paal Kootu | Indian Curry Recipes

Kootu is a gravy based side dish made with vegetables with or without lentils. In south-Indian cooking, it can be tamarind based or coconut based. While adding tamarind gives warmth and tartness, adding coconut to any gravy gives it a unique rich taste. This method of paal kootu with coconut is my personal favorite whose taste I got hooked to when I was working in Chennai and staying at my family friend's house as a paying guest. She is an excellent cook and her food is the best next only to home food. Coming home to a hot and tasty meal, after a tiring day's work is heaven. Oh, how I miss those days... Now for the Suraikai pal kootu.

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd - 1 medium sized - peeled and cubed ~ 2 cups
Chana dhal / Split Chick peas - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
To grind:
Coconut - 3 tbsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - 1 big
To Temper:
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Broken Red Chilli - 2 

Method:
Cook chana dhal in 3/4 cups of water with a dash of salt until soft when pressed but still hold its shape. I pressure cooked it for one whistle. Make a smooth paste of the ingredients under 'To grind' with a little water. In a medium pan, cover and cook bottle gourd with 1/2 cup of water, turmeric powder and salt about 5 to 7 mins. When it is soft, add the ground paste and cooked chana dhal. Allow it to boil until the raw smell of the paste disappears, about 5 mins. Add milk and heat it through. Transfer to a serving bowl. For tempering, heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, urad dhal, chillies and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds pops, remove from heat and pour it over the kootu. Serve hot with rice or rotis.