Bottle Gourd & Cow Pea + Moong Curry

Bottle Gourd & Cow peas and Whole Moong Curry is a side dish. We can have this curry with plain rice or any masala rice or with chapatis, rotis, poori, dosa and idli. It is nice to have this curry with even bread and buns . This is one of the mild spicy curry.

I have used bottle gourd, cow peas (alasande Kalu) and whole moong.
Some thing interesting is that the cow peas I have used is from Malasia. I know this is not believable. I usually bring this cow peas, horse gram and other legumes from my village which is near by Udupi. We have a small shop and it is run by a konkani family. (They are famous for trading). We get almost everything there with good quality too. This time when I went to buy cow peas there he said it is from Malasia they got the stuff. I just murmured what? from Malasia? We have become to that stage to import legumes from other neighbouring countries? But it is a fact. Legumes have been imported from our neighbouring country. Our problems in the village is that we are not getting workers to work in the field. Younger generation flee to cities to find a better job. Wow Modern India where are you heading to?
It has become once upon a time where they grew these legumes in our field and it was fantastic feeling to dry them in the court yard. May be some still do that and they themselves by getting themselves into the field to work. I remember the saying " Kai kesaradare bai mosaru. (The one who work hard has the benefits).
Let us know about the benefits of having Tamarind in our diet.
Tamarind has tangy and sweet taste. It is used widely in the South Asian cooking. Tamarind contain good amount of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber helps to prevent constipation. The pulp helps to lower the bad cholesterol from our body. Tamarind is rich in tartaric acid. It gives sour taste to food and it is also a good oxidant content. So it helps the body and protect it from harmful free radicals. It contain many medicinal properties. Tamarind has good source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc and magnesium. Potassium helps to control heart rate and blood pressure. Iron helps in red blood cell production. Tamarind is rich in many vital vitamins like, Vitamin C, thaiamin, Vitamin A, folic acid and other vitamins. They help to boost metabolism inside our body.
There is no onion or garlic used in this curry. 

Things Needed :

To Cook :
Toor Dal : 1/2 Cup
Moong Dal : 1 Cup
Cow Peas : 1 Cup
Bottle Gourd : 1 Bowl (Medium sized)
To Grind :
Coriander seeds (Raw) ; 1 Tablespoon. (Full)
Jeera : 1Teaspoon
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Red chilly : 6 to 8
Tamarind : 1 Small Marble size.
To Add:
Methi Seeds/Fenugrik seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Green chilly : 2
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard, curry leaves, ingh seasoning : 1 teaspoon
Oil to season : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : As Required
Turmeric powder : a pinch

Method : 

1. Wash and cook dal, whole moon and cow peas in a pressure cooker. Leave it for cooling.

2. Grate coconut and grind it with coriander seeds, jeera/cumin seeds and tamarind with little water and remove it from mixi jar.
3. Wash Bottle gourd and cut it into small and cook them separately till soft.
   Wash and cut curry leaves and green chilly and keep it aside.

4. Now keep a big pan on the fire and heat. Add cooked dal, cow pea,whole moong and cooked bottle gourd.

5. Add turmeric powder,cut green chilly and required salt. Mix it well and let it boil for a minute.
6. Add ground coconut mixture and mix it well. Add methi seeds. (raw).
7. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Shift the curry to a serving dish and add mustard seasoning and coriander leaves.

9. Serve with any main dish you have prepared.

Note :

You can soak the legumes (cow peas and whole moong) over night or 5 to 6 hours. ( I did not soak it). You can use little garam masala to give a spicy taste. You can also use more vegetables like beans, brinjal etc. Adding onion or garlic is optional. Adding methi seeds is optional. (It helps to reduce the cholesterol content in the curry). Adding jaggery is optional. (I did not use).
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 4 to 5