Chow Chow Kootu | சௌ சௌ கூட்டு | Chayote Kootu

Ingredients :-
--------------------

Chow chow	1
Moong dal	¼ cup
Sambar powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Red Chillies	2
Curry leaves	few
Cumin	½ tsp
Garlic (minced)	2 pods
Mustard	1 tsp
Castor Oil	1 tsp
Salt	to taste

To Grind :-

Roasted gram (Pottu Kadalai)	1 tbsp
Grated Coconut	¼ cup
Cumin	½ tsp

Method:-
-------------
1). Peel the skin and divide into two halves. Remove the seed and dice them. Keep aside. 
2). Pressure cook chow chow, turmeric powder, sambar powder, moong dal, castor oil and water* for a whistle. Switch off. 
3). Grind the items listed under "to grind" section and keep aside. When pressure releases, open the lid and mash everything using a masher. Pour the grounded paste to the cooked dal and bring it to a boil. 
4). Mean while, heat oil in a tempering pan, add mustard, cumin and let it splutter. Then add garlic, curry leaves and broken red chillies, saute till the raw smell goes from garlic. Top this seasoning on top of dal and switch off. 
Combine and serve with any poriyal. I served it with steamed rice and Pavakkai Poriyal. The bitterness in pavakkai complemented kootu.

Notes :-
-----------
# Do not add more water for pressure cooking. Just add enough water for veggie and dal to get immersed. 
# Do not leave it for more whistles as the veggie gets cooked faster.
# You can also soak dal in advance so that it gets cooked easily. 
  

If you enjoy reading my blog, Join my page on Facebook | follow me on Twitter | add me on Google+.

   Cheers,