Peerkangai Kootu (Ridge Gourd Kootu)

Preparation time :10 minutes     

Cooking time : 15 minutes

Serves 4 

Difficulty :  Easy

Ridge gourd is known as Peerkangai in Tamil and it has high dietary fibre. It is a diabetic friendly vegetable and also  helps in aiding weight loss. It has high beta carotene, zinc, iron and  magnesium. So it is better to include in your weekly diet. When peerkangai combined with dhal gives many health benefits and I can term it as a “Bachelor recipe” because this one dish gives all vitamins, proteins, etc essential for day to day life. It serves multi purpose, i.e. it can be served either for mixing with rice or as a side dish for rice & rasam/ kuzhambu/curd or for chappathi too.

Peerkangai kootu is very easy to prepare and delicious too. This can be prepared with any dhal. Using moong dhal will not require too many preparations.

Ingredients:

• Ridge gourd     - 1 No. (Medium size)
• Moong dhal     - 75 ml
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp
• Shallots            (chopped) - 5 Nos.
• Green chillies(slitted) – 2 Nos.
• Tomato            (chopped) – 1 No.
• Scraped coconut – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

For seasoning:

• Mustard – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds (Jeera) -1 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

Wash , remove the skin of the ridge gourd and cut into small cubes.  Cook the moong dhal with turmeric powder  and water until very soft.  Pour oil in a kadai and season with the items given for seasoning. Then add onion, green chillies  and tomato, sauté for a minute. Now add ridge gourd pieces and sauté for a minute, then add cooked moong dhal and red chilli powder and mix well. Cook the vegetable with a lid covered for 5 minutes. Now add coconut and required salt, mix everything and cook for a minute. Your

peerkangai kootu is ready to be served!!

As I already told, this tastes great when it is mixed with hot rice with a few drops of ghee. Bachelors, you can have this hot rice with pickle or chips and I assure you of a heavenly meal, Try it!

This can be taken as a side dish for kara kuzhambu, Meenkuzhambu or for rasam.

Note:

Depending on the usage of this dish i.e. main/side dish, you can adjust the spice level with the addition of chilli powder. The measurements I have given will be mild enough to take it as side dish.

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