Poosanikai Mor Kuzhambu

Poosanikai  Mor  Kuzhambu (Ash gourd / Kuvvale / kumbalanga  in coconut yogurt gravy) - A delicious main curry in Tamil cuisine, goes well with rice. Basic recipe from  Samayal  by Viji Varadarajan. Cookery book available at online stores and other leading bookshops.

Serves: 3 – 4

Ingredients

For the  curd:

200 ml medium thick curd

3 tablespoon / ¼ cup / 50 ml water

½ teaspoon salt

Beat curd till smooth with the help of a blender or Tupperware quick shaker. Make curd mixture into a smooth consistency (without any lumps).

For  the coconut paste:

4  tablespoons grated coconut

1 tablespoon rice flour (this step is very important)

1 green chilli, chopped

2 tablespoon water

Method

Make a smooth paste of above ingredients with 2 tablespoon water. Paste should be thick in consistency.

For  the poosanikai / ash gourd:

200 g ash gourd, peel off the skin and cut into cubes

1 cup (175 - 200 ml) water

½ teaspoon salt

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise

Method

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Cover with a lid and boil on a medium to low heat for 10 – 12 minutes until done and water almost dries up / pumpkin pieces well cooked.

For the  seasoning:

2 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 pinches hing (asafoetida)

4 curry leaves

Method

Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add hing and curry leaves. Saute for 2 – 4 minutes until fragrant and crisp.

Final preparation:

In a bowl, mix coconut paste,  blended curd and seasoning  together (stir continuously). Pour this mixture into cooked poosanikai and boil again on a very low heat for 2 – 3 minutes. Serve with rice and other accompaniments (like potato fry, pickle, appalam (papad) ...