Peerkangai Kootu | Ridge Gourd Kootu | Chinese Okra with Mung Dal

Cooked Ridge Gourd & Mung Dal with Indian tempering

For me kootu is a very healthy comfort food. Pair it up with steamed rice & rasam, I am a happy person :) Coz I do not have to think about cooking a dal & preparing a veg stir fry separately. Everything goes in together this single dish and gives me a tasty & healthy & easy recipe.. Truly comfort, right? Many would like to have kootu as a side dish with vathakuzhambu or kara kuzhambu but somehow I find it best with rasam. Rasam being subtle, I can enjoy the flavors of the kootu to the max ! Here, you can prepare this with channa dal also. But mung dal is a personal favorite & easy to cook and also it doesn't need much soaking time. Peerkangai (Ridge Gourd/Chinese Okra) being a versatile veggie, you can use even the peel/skin to prepare thogayal or chutney & not to forget about the health benefits. So let's see how this easy kootu can be prepared.

Recipe from Ma

Serves: 2 persons

I Took: 30 minutes

I Used:

Peerkanga/Ridge Gourd	-	1 no - medium sized
Mung Dal/Channa Dal	-	¼ cup (I used Mung Dal here)
Grated Coconut	-	2 tbsp
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Temper:

Oil	-	2 tsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Asafoetida	-	½ tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig

The Way:

1. Wash & clean the dal & soak in water for 15-20 minutes. Then pressure cook it till done
2. Clean the ridge gourd & peel the skin. Reserve the skin/peel for chutney/thogayal. Chop the gourd into small cubes. You need not discard the middle soft portion as in other gourds
3. Now add the chopped ridge gourd, red chilly powder, turmeric powder & salt to the cooked mung dal. If the dal is too mushy, add ½ cup water & cook uncovered until done. Do not pressure cook the gourd as it will get overcooked
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it splutters, add red chilly, curry leaves & asafoetida & saute. Take care not to burn
5. Add this tempering to the cooked kootu. Add the grated coconut & give it a mix
6. Remove from flame & serve with steamed rice & a gravy of your choice

Cheers,

Chitz