Potlakaaya Koora ~ South Indian Style Snake Gourd Curry

Here is a simple curry prepared with snake gourd that is usually served with steamed rice as part of a south Indian meal. The cooking method used here is a common preparation across homes in south India and the snake gourd in this recipe can be replaced with other vegetables. The cooking time depends upon the quality of the gourd that is being used. It cooks quicker if the gourd is tender and may take more time if the gourd is mature. Snake gourd can also be used in simple lentil preparations like this dal and raita or in pindi miriyam from Andhra like the versions I have posted here and here.

Ingredients:

2 snake gourds, chopped (about 5 cups)
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. split peas / chana dal
1 tsp. skinned black gram / urad dal
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
3 or 4 dried red chili broken into bits or to taste

A sprig of curry leaves
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 & 3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup. shredded fresh / frozen coconut 

Directions:
*  Trim the edges of snake gourd. If the gourds are long, chop them into two pieces. The gourd can be cut into thin circles if preferred. I cut them lengthwise into two and chopped them thinly. Discard the seeds if they are mature. 

* Heat oil and add split peas, black gram, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When split peas and black gram starts to turn reddish add red chilis and curry leaves. Stir them for few seconds.

* Next add the cut snake gourd pieces, salt and turmeric and mix them well. Cover and cook on low flame, stirring in between until the snake gourd pieces soften. (The cooking time depends upon the tenderness of the vegetable.)

* Finally add the shredded coconut and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes and turn off the stove.

* Serve the curry with steamed rice, drizzling a little ghee over it.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon and check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

Comment

Potlakaaya Pindi Miriyam / Andhra Style, Spicy Snake Gourd Dal

Pindi miriyam is a traditional dish from the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a lentil based preparation flavored with the addition of a freshly ground spice paste. The paste includes 'miriyam' or black pepper as well which gives a spicy kick to the dish. The dish has a thicker consistency compared to the regular sambhar dish. There is another version called paala pindi miriyam that do not use any lentils but prepared with milk and the spice paste and that recipe is found here.

This had become almost like a forgotten dish though it was a favorite dal of mine while growing up. This is my maternal grandmother's recipe which I got from my aunt as my mother has almost stopped preparing this in the recent years and had forgotten the recipe. It seems that it was one of my grandfather's favorite dishes and so, my grandmother used it prepare it now and then. My mother on the other hand hated the dish and would be in tears whenever she saw the dish. It is hard to visualize the scene as I have never seen my mom disliking any food prepared at home. And guess what, this is one of the dishes she used to prepare regularly while I was growing up and had become one of my favorites over the years. 

We usually use snake gourd in this recipe but any vegetables on hand can be used. My mother used to add coconut in this recipe while my grandmother's recipe does not include it. I prepare it nowadays without adding coconut but I highly recommend it as coconut enhances the flavor of pindi miriyam. I have started making this dish recently and thought of posting today this comfort meal of mine.

Ingredients for dal:

3/4 cup yellow lentils / toordal

1 heaped cup of chopped snake gourd pieces

1/8 tsp. ground turmeric

Salt to taste

1 lime sized tamarind ball

Ingredients for the spicy paste:

1/2 tsp oil (I didn't use any.)
1 heaped tsp. rice 

1 heaped split chickpeas / chana dal

1 tsp. black gram / urad dal

1 heaped tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. peppercorns 
A pinch of fenugreek seeds 
3 / 4 dried red chilies
2 pinches of asafoetida (I added it in tadka instead.)

1/4 cup fresh / frozen shredded coconut 

Ingredients for tadka:

1 tsp. oil

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

Few curry leaves

Directions:

* Rinse yellow lentils / toor dal with water and drain. Pressure cook the lentils adding snake gourd pieces, turmeric and 1 and 3/4 cups of water, for three whistles. If the lentils takes longer to cook than three whistles, cook the snake gourd separately as the pieces may turn mushy if cooked longer. Lightly mash the cooked dal with a back of a ladle.

* Soak the tamarind in water for about an hour to soften it or cook the tamarind with water in a microwave for two minutes. Squeeze the tamarind paste and keep it ready.

* Meanwhile, toast the ingredients mentioned under the list. Add oil to a small pan and add rice, split chickpeas, and black gram. Saute until dals start changing color and add coriander seeds, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, and red chilies. Saute on low flame until coriander seeds and  fenugreek starts changing color. Add asafoetida and turn off the stove. 

* When the toasted ingredients cool down to room temperature, grind them along with coconut to a thick paste, adding water as needed.

* Add a tsp. oil in a kadai / pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves. (I added asafoetida here.) Immediately add the cooked dal with the snake gourd pieces, the ground paste and salt to the pan. Add tamarind water to your taste. 

* Mix the contents in the pan with a ladle, taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Add extra water if it appears too thick. (Pindimiriyam's consistency is on a thicker side compared to sambhar and so add water accordingly.) 

* Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and cook for a couple of minutes more. Turn off the stove and serve warm with rice / roti.

Comments

Potlakaya Pappu / Snake gourd Dal

In India, beans are a great source of protein irrespective of one's dietary habits. What variety of beans (dal) are used or how they are cooked at home, depends upon where you are from. They are used both in savoury and sweet dishes.
Coming to South, lentils (toordal/kandipappu) are extensively used on a daily basis. Again each state have unique dal preparations which are special and delicious in their own way. From the state of Andhra, one can find such a distinctive dal preparation called pappu. Though it can be prepared with most of the vegetables, mamidikaya pappu (mango dal), gongura pappu, dosakaya pappu (cucumber dal) stand out.
Though I like all my pappus, I am partial towards those with Indian gourds like snake, bottle or ridge gourds. They are quick and simple. Tamarind - chili powder mantra very common to dal preparations, is a big NO here. It is cooked in such a way that the unique flavor and the mild sweet taste of the gourd stand out instead of the other ingredients added.
Snake gourds are long gourds (and probably why the name) with a beautiful green shade covered with white stripes. They are mildly sweet to taste after cooking. When using the fresh gourd, trim off the edges and slice crosswise into thin circles. If using frozen ones, wash the sliced gourds and use. I have no qualms in using frozen vegetables when fresh ones are not available or when we need to drive 40 miles around or when I need to pay more. Especially the snake gourds where I have to shell out around $8 per pound while I can get the same quantity of frozen variety at less than quarter the price.

Ingredients required:Toordal - 3/4 cup
Potlakaya / snake gourd, chopped into slices - 1 cup
Water - 1 & 1/2 cups
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
4 Serrano peppers, slit lengthwise (or use any other variety green chillies. Quantity can be increased or decreased)
Salt - 1 tsp
For tadka: 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp each of mustard & cumin seeds, curry leaves, a pinch of asafoetida

The cooking part:Put all the ingredients except salt in a pressure cooker and cook. When the valve pressure is gone remove the lid. Add salt and mix well with a ladle. Mash the dal a little bit, if needed.
Alternatively, add all these ingredients to a sturdy pot and cook on low flame with constant stirring. Water quantity should be increased accordingly. When cooked the dal must reach fall apart stage and need to be mushy and not watery.
Heat a tsp of oil in a small pan. Add 1/2 tsp each of mustard seeds and cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida and few curry leaves to the hot oil. When mustard seeds start to splutter, turn off the stove and add these ingredients to the cooked pappu (dal) and stir once more.


Potlakaya pappu served with steamed rice, a tsp of ghee & sundried, salted chilies

Post a comment

Yogurt With Snake Gourd ~ Potlakaya Perugu Pachchadi

When I go grocery shopping, I always pickup at least 6 gallons of milk. I had strangers asking me curiously what I do with that much of milk or people with a smile on their face commenting 'that's a lot'.
As far as I know, majority of the Indians enjoy their share of dairy products. It may be milk, yogurt, buttermilk, cream, butter/ghee or paneer (Indian cheese). What ever it is, every body loves one or the other form. Growing up, I don't recall any magazine or television telling us how important milk is or having a particular number of servings would make you thinner. We also didn't have mesmerising ads for smoothies or fruit on the bottom kind of yogurts. Still we did have our daily share of dairy. With out the knowledge of food pyramids, calories and other nutritional data, majority of Indian moms always try to imbibe the kids with this fact that how milk can make them 'taakatwar' or stronger. One which makes you stronger must be good, that's all we knew when we were little. Science classes later taught that milk is a good source of calcium which is important for bones. I enjoyed and still do when it comes to dairy products. Yogurt, being my favorite.
Naturally fermented yogurt / dahi/ perugu has been part of the Indian food from the earliest times. It is a norm in South Indian families to finish their meal with yogurt (and cooked rice) since it aids digestion and has a cooling effect after a spicy meal. In India, apart from the culinary usage, yogurt is eaten as it is, made into delicious lassis, khadis, raitas and more.
We don't throw away even our sour yogurt, :) Either it goes into majjiga pulusu (Andhra Kadhi) or perugu pachchadi (Can be called raita but made with sour yogurt). A roasted / cooked vegetable is added to the spiced up sour yogurt. The popular choices of veggies added are eggplant, snake gourd and bottle gourd. This is some what similar to my earlier post 'Vankaya Perugu Pachchadi' (Baingan raitha). In Andhra homes, usually it is eaten with rice and muddha pappu (toor dal cooked to a thicker consistency and salt added). Rice and dal are mixed well with a generous amount of ghee and then each 'muddha' (morsel) is dipped in this pachchadi and eaten. (Mu in muddha pronounced as in 'Municipal' and 'ddha' as in 'that' with a stress). It can be also eaten with rotis.

Ingredients :Snake gourd chopped into circles - 1/2 cupYogurt (preferably sour) - 1 cupSmall piece of ginger
2 or 3 Green chillies
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
A little asafoetida
A few curry leaves
Cilantro to garnish
Salt
Preparation:
Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add snake gourd and turmeric powder. Cover and cook on low flame till the snake gourds are done.
Mean while, grind the green chillies and ginger into a paste. If it is difficult to grind add a little yogurt to facilitate grinding.
Whisk or beat the yogurt with a spoon for a few seconds to reach a smooth, uniform consistency. Add salt, ginger - chillie paste, snake gourd mixture to the yogurt and mix well.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice & dal combo or rotis.

This goes to Nupur's A-Z vegetable series for the 'Y' entry.
Post a comment

Pindi Miriyam

This recipe comes from my Mother in law's kitchen. My sister in law is presently visiting us and I prepared it following her instructions. Pindi miriyam, a simple and delicious side dish from Andhra can be eaten with rice or rice and plain dal. Snake gourd in this recipe can be replaced with bottle gourd or chayote. The spicy powder and the milk form a creamy, tastier base for the vegetable used in this dish.

Ingredients:

Snake gourd, fine chopped - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Urad dal - 1 Tbsp

Peppercorns - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Red chillie - 1

Coconut grated (Fresh or dry) - 1/4 cup

Rice - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Salt - Accordingly

For Tadka:

Oil - 1-2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - A few

Method:

Cook the snake gourd pieces with water. Drain the water and collect the cooked snake gourd in a bowl. Add salt to it.

Heat the oil in a small pan and fry peppercorns, cuminseeds, uraddal, rice, coconut and red chillie till the urad dal turn red. Let it cool and then grind it into a fine powder. Add this powder to the snake gourd pieces.

Do the tadka. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and a few curry leaves. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, remove and add the tadka mixture to the snake gourd pieces.

Heat and cool the milk.

When the snake gourd mixture cools down, add the milk and stir.

Serve with rice.

Post a comment