Churakka Parippu Curry / Bottle gourd Lentil Curry

Bottle gourd is a healthy vegetable that has low fat and cholesterol and helps in reducing weight. The fiber and minerals in the bottle gourd supports healthy digestion. You can prepare juice out of it, it is suggested that you  can consume it at noon for weight loss purpose. This juice can be applied externally for skin care uses such as pimple, acne, dark circle etc. This curry is a Kerala style preparation with lentils and ground coconut. You can also use snake gourd or ash gourd instead of this.

Ingredients

• Bottle gourd – 1
• Split moong dal/ Toor dal – 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Shallot – 2
• Dry red chilly – 2
• Curry leaf – 1 sprig

To grind

• Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
• Cumin seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
• Shallot –  2
• Green chilly / bird’s eye chilly –  2
• Garlic clove – 2

Preparation

1. Peel the skin of the bottle gourd,cut into cubes and keep aside.
2. Dry roast the dal in a pressure cooker until slightly browned on low flame.Switch off flame and wash the dal under running water.
3. Add dal and vegetable in cooker with turmeric powder,salt and sufficient water and bring to a boil.Close it and cook until it is done.
4. Grind the coconut with cumin seeds,green chilies,shallots and garlic to a smooth paste.
5. Once the pressure is released, open and add the ground paste. Bring this to a slow boil and switch off flame.
6. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add in dry red chillies and curry leaves, sliced shallots,saute until pinkish brown.Pour this over the curry.