Delicious Kootu Curry
Photo credits: Asha Sreedharan
Ingredients
- 150 g ash gourd (safed petta)
- 1 raw mango
- ¼ tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- ½ – 1 tsp unrefined salt
- ¼ coconut, grated
- 2 green chillies
- ¼ tsp mustard (rai) seeds
- ¼ tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
- ½ tsp black pepper (kali mirch) powder
- 1 dried red chilli
- ¼ tsp split black gram (urad dal)
- 1 sprig curry leaves
Method
Cut raw mango into large pieces and boil in water along with turmeric powder. Peel and cut the ash gourd into ½” pieces. Grind half the boiled mango pieces into a smooth paste. Cook the ash gourd and mango paste in a little water. Add salt and turmeric powder when cooking. Take the remaining raw mango (with the water) and grind to a paste with coconut and green chillies. Add this paste to the ash gourd and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat as soon as it comes to a boil. In a heated kadai, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. As soon as the mustard sputters and pops, turn the heat off, add black pepper powder, red chilli, urad dal and curry leaves and roast for 30 seconds. Add to the ash gourd. Kootu is ready.
Variations: Replace ash gourd with yam/raw banana/arbi.
Serves 4