Pumpkin Puli Kootu

This Pushnikai(White Pumpkin) Puli (Tamarind) Kootu is an absolute fav in our house! I love white pumpkin and this had a nice mixture of lentils, peanuts & tamarind and tastes good with both rice & chapati :)..amma would prepare this often and i prepare this whenever i get white pumpkin! 

Pumpkin Puli Kootu/ Pushnikai Puli Kootu

Its healthy, nutritious and easy to make...



Ingredients
1. White Pumpkin - 3 cups (cored, peeled and cubed finely)
2. Toor dal - 3/4 cup
3. Channa dal - a handful
4. Peanuts - 2 handful(optional)
5. Tamarind -1&1/2 tsp
6. Water - 3&1/2 cups
7. Salt - to taste
8.Turmeric - a pinch


To Roast and wet grind
1. Dhania/Coriander seeds - 2tsp
2. Channa dal - 2 tbsp
3. Red Chillies - 5-6
4. Coconut -3tbsp
5. Hing - a pinch
6. Oil - 1 tsp


To Temper
1. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
2. Curry Leaves - a spring
3. Oil - 1 tsp


Preparation Time!!
1a. Add the dals, peanuts and turmeric in a bowl and pressure cook them with enough water for upto 4 whistles
1b. Drain water of the cooked lentils ( you could use it for rasam), and lightly mash it using the back of a ladle.Keep aside


2a. Take white pumpkin in a bowl & pressure cook it for 1 whistle ( Don't add water to the pumpkins)
2b. In a pan, take the tamarind and add water ( 3 and half cup water). To this add cooked pumpkin and let it boil till the tamarind smell goes


3a. Meanwhile, take a pan, add 1 tsp oil and add all ingredients mentioned in 'To Roast & wet grind', except coconut.Roast them till light brown. Remove and cool
3b. Blend the roasted items along with coconut and little water to make a fine paste


4. Once the tamarind smell goes, add the lentils to this mixture and mix well. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes
5. After 2-3 minutes, add the wet grind mixture and salt to wok and mix well. Let it simmer for another 5-6 minutes and switch of flame
6. Take a pan, add oil. Once warm, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and add this to the pumpkin mixture in the wok!


Serve hot with rice or chapati or just grab a bowl & dig in!


Pointers
*If the kootu is thick, you could add additional water. I had added 4 & 1/2 cup water, coz we like it a little liquify..
** i had a big pumpkin, so i used all of it, hence 3 cups.You could reduce the quantity and proportionally decrease imli, dals quantity!
*** Don't add too much of tamarind.It should not be like sambhar!


Serving : 4-5 people
Duration - 40 minutes ( mainly due to pressure cooking, if you cook lentils earlier, this can be prepared in a jiffy)


Sending this to
Sudha's 'Love for lentils'
Indrani's ' Spotlight : Winter Vegetables'