White Pumpkin / Vellai Poosanikai Kootu with Green Peas

White Pumpkin / Vellai Poosanikai Kootu with Green Peas

Quick and easy recipe for white pumpkin (vellai poosanikai) kootu with green peas. A delicious and wholesome side for rice or chapatis.

Course Vegetable Curries

Cuisine Indian - South Indian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 190kcal

Author Manju

Ingredients

2 cups cubed winter melon / ash gourd / white pumpkin
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup toor dal
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 cup grated coconut
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-3 dried red chillies
salt as needed

For the tadka

2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
1 teaspoon chana dal

Instructions

Peel, de seed and cube the white pumpkin into 1 inch cubes. Add some water and turmeric powder in a pot and cook the melon in it till it is easily mushed with little pressure. This should take about 8-10 mins.
2 cups cubed winter melon / ash gourd / white pumpkin, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Add the green peas to it and let it soften. Add salt to taste and mix well.
1 cup frozen peas, salt
While the melon is cooking, cook the toor dal in a pressure cooker or the Instant Pot. For the Instant Pot, add toor dal, double the amount of water and cook on Manual / High Pressure for 6 mins. Mash the dal till it gets all mushy and add it to the melon and green peas.
1 cup toor dal
Grind the coconut* to a paste along with cumin seeds and dried red chillies. Add this to the dal and melon mix. Rinse out any coconut paste in the blender jar with some water and add it to the kootu. Let it all cook together over medium high heat for 2-3 mins.
1 cup grated coconut, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2-3 dried red chillies
Pop the mustard seeds in hot coconut oil and add the chana dal and curry leaves to it. Once the chana dal starts to turn brown, remove the tadka pan from the heat.
2 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 5-6 curry leaves, 1 teaspoon chana dal
Pour this tadka over the kootu and mix well before serving.

Notes

* if using frozen grated coconut (which is the easiest and still fresh way to use this ingredient), break off a piece and warm in the microwave for 30 secs to a minute before you grind it to a paste. This will make sure that it grinds evenly to a smooth paste without the oil separating.

If you are cooking toor dal or moong dal for making dal any other day of the week, make extra to use for this kootu as well. It is a lot quicker when you already have cooked dal on hand.
Mix and match vegetables for this recipe. If you don't have green peas, then make this kootu with just the winter melon. You can also substitute any kind of squash for the winter melon.

Nutrition