Traditional White Pumpkin Huli

READY TO SERVE TRADITIONAL WHITE PUMPKIN HULI  (CURRY)

White Pumpkin is one of the good  vegetable and we Indians use vegetables in our diet.  I have prepared Traditional curry which is very famous in Udipi side. 
White Pumpkin (Ash gourd) is known as boodu kumbala kai in Kannada. 
Let us see some benefits of having White Pumpkin in our diet.
Ash gourd is one of the healthy vegetable and it has got loads of  medicinal and healing properties in it. It reduces the gastric problem. Ash gourd is good for duabetuc patients and people who are suffering from obesity. It has loads of moisture and helps to relief in acidity and peptic ulcers. Ash gourd is rich in Vitamin C. It is full of fiber and good for people who are suffering from constipation. It helps to digest the food easily.
I have just followed my aunt recipe. Ingredients are roasted freshly and then ground with fresh coconut. Toor dal is used to give thickness to the curry. I advice you must try this curry to know the taste.

Ingredients :

Toor Daal : 1/4 cup
White Pumpkin : 1/4 kg
Coriander seeds : 1 Tea spoon
Fenugric seeds ( Mentya or Methi seeds) : 1/4 Tea spoon
Jeera or cummin seeds : 1/4 Tea spoon
Tamrind Pulp: 2 Table spoon
Red chillies : 4 to 6
Asafoetida ; a pinch
Coconut :1/2 cup
Salt : to taste
Curry leaves : 5 to 6 
Jaggery : 1 Table spoon

Ghee: 1 Tea spoon

Water : Required amount of water.

Method :

1. Wash and cut pumpkin . Boil for 5 to 6 minutes. Pressure cook daal and keep it aside.

2. Now dry roast methi ( mentya )till brown, add coriander seeds, red chillies.Roast for 20 seconds and then add jeera. Put off the gas and let the spices cool.

3.Grind roasted spices with coconut and little water till it turns into paste. Soak tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp. Keep it aside.

4.Keep a pan on the fire. Put cooked pumpkin, dal and turmeric powder. Add tamarind pulp and required salt. Mix it well. 

5.Mix ingh in a tea spoon of water and then add it to the boiling mixture.
6.Now add ground coconut spice mixture to dall. . Mix well slowly and let it boil for another 3 to 4 minutes.

7.You can add mustard splutter to the ready curry and shift the curry to a serving bowl. 
8.Serve with hot rice or any main dish you prepared.  Add a spoon of fresh ghee just before serving.

Note :
You can add other vegetables like beans , carrots with pumpkin while boiling . Seasoning the with mustard seeds.

Method for seasoning: 1/4 spoon of mustard and urd daal . 1 spoon of any cooking oil. Curry leaves 4 to 6 . a pinch of ingh.
Heat oil in a pan . Add mustard and urd daal. Let it sprut. Add curry leaves. Add a pinch of ingh and add this to the ready curry.

Time : 30 minutes.
Serves : 4 to 5

White Pumpkin/Ash Gourd Sambaar

White Pumpkin/Kumbala kai/ Doodi or Kumbada/Ash Gourd is one of the best healthy vegetable. It is available in most of the time around the year.
I have prepared saambar/curry with Ash gourd, toor dal and spicy saambar powder which is prepared at home.

Lets see some benefits of using Ash Gourd in our diet.
Ash gourd is said to be packed with nutrition. It is loaded with Vitamin B 1. Vitamin B 3 and Vitamin C. It is full of minerals like calcium, potassium and it helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure level. Ash gourd juice is used like a common tonic because of its healthy qualities. Ash gourd works as cooling agent to our body. They have good amount of fiber and good for digestive system. They are the best remedy for constipation. Ash gourd juice is used for home cure for peptic ulcer. They can be used for dealing diabetes. In Ayurveda the fruit is used for astama , coughs, urine retention and internal hemorrhage. The rind is good for diabetes and seeds are good to remove tapeworms. Ash gourd juice is used for mercury poisoning and snake bites in Ayurveda. White Pumpkin is low in calories and it is good for treating obesity.
White Pumpkin Saambar has no onion or no garlic. It is also one of the traditional dish, we say it as bolu huli since no coconut is used and goes well with idli, dosa, chapatis, plain rice and rotis.
Lets see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

To Cook :
Toor dal : 1/2 Cup
Ash gourd pieces : 1 Big bowl. (1/4 Kg)
To Add :
Sambar Powder/ Rasam Powder : 3 to 4 Teaspoons
Tamarind : Small marble size
Salt : As required
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons
Seasoning : 
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : a pinch
Curry leaves :  6 to 8 leaves
Oil : 1 Teaspoon

Method :

1. Wash pumpkin and remove the outer skin and cut it into pieces according to your wish .
2. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes with little water till they turn soft. Keep it aside.

3. Wash and pressure cook toor dal with little water and leave it for cooling.
4. Soak tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp and keep the pulp aside.
5. Keep a big bowl on the fire. Heat. Add oil and mustard seeds.
6. Add urid dal. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add curry leaves and ingh.
7. Add cooked white pumpkin pieces, cooked dal and salt. Mix it well.

8. Add turmeric powder and tamarind pulp. Mix it well and let it cook for 2 minutes.
9. Now add sambar powder/rasam powder and mix it nicely and slowly.

10. Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Shift the ready curry to a serving bowl.
11. Add cut coriander leaves and mix it well.

12. Add a spoon of ghee before serving and serve with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

Use of dal is optional. Toor dal/ Moong dal. I have used toor dal. Adding sambar/rasam powder is also optional. You can use any brand of powder. Make sure it taste good. (do not add the old powder). Adding a green chilly gives good aroma to the curry. Adding extra ghee to the curry is optional. (According to me adding ghee to the curry adds to the taste). Use of jaggery is also optional. ( I did not use ).
Time : 30 Minutes 
Serves : 3 to 4 





Fresh Sambar powder Recipe : 

Dry roast  1/4 teaspoon of methi seeds, 1 teaspoon of urid/channa dal, 2 tablespoons of daniya/coriander seeds, 5 to 6 red chilly (byadagi) and 1/2 teaspoon of jeera one by one. Add a handful of curry leaves and a pinch of ingh while dry roasting. Dry grind them once the ingredients cools. You will get fresh, aromatic sambar powder.