Poosanikkai Mor Kootu / Ash Gourd Stew With Buttermilk

Poosanikkai Mor Kootu is one of the comfort foods to try on lazy days. This kootu with hot rice and lentils (paruppu) is an excellent filling meal.

When it comes to comfort food, my go-to recipe is a kootu. I love eating hot kootu with rice and paruppu. I make kootu on lazy days when I am not in the mood to cook anything elaborate.

Kootu makes up for a complete meal and is very filling as well. The Mor kootu is something similar to aviyal except that I have made it just with possanikkai / ash gourd here. We could use the same recipe to make mor kootu with snake gourd, cabbage, or a mixture of vegetables.

If looking for a slightly spicy kootu with poosanikkai check out this recipe which is kind of a poricha kootu or this Kerala-style Poosanikkai kootu. Also, check out my complete list of kootu here.

Preparation time - 10 minutes Cooking time - 30 minutes difficulty level - easy

Ash Gourd Stew with Buttermilk in a bowl - 2

Ingredients to make Poosanikkai Mor Kootu - serves 4

Poosanikkai / Ash Gourd / White pumpkin - 3 cups (chopped into ½ inch pieces)
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Yogurt (preferably a little sour) - 1 cup (whisked with ½ cup of water)
Salt - to taste

To Grind into paste -

Coconut - ½ cup
Cumin seeds - 1 ½ tsp
Green chilies - 4 to 5
Raw rice - 1 tsp

To season -

Oil - 2 teaspoon (preferably coconut oil)
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Ullutham paruppu / Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Asafetida - a pinch

Procedure to make Poosanikkai Mor Kootu -

Chop the ash gourd / poosanikkai into bite-size cubes. Place it in a pan with about ½ cup of water and turmeric powder.
Let the vegetables cook until they are soft.

Meanwhile, grind the coconut, green chilies, cumin seeds, and rice into a smooth paste. You could add a little water when grinding.
Combine this mixture with the whisked yogurt and keep it ready

Once the vegetable is cooked well, drain any excess water. Add the salt needed and the coconut mixture and let the kootu simmer for flavors to combine.
Heat oil for seasoning and add the seasoning ingredients. Add it to the simmering kootu.
Serve hot with rice, paruppu (dal), and ghee!

Poosanikkai Mor Kootu served in a bowl - 5

Other Kootu Recipes

Peerkangai Poricha Kootu | Ridge Gourd / Chinese Okra Kootu
Vellarikkai Kootu / Cucumber Stew
Chow Chow Poricha Kootu - Chayote Squash stew
Chow Chow Carrot Kootu | Chayote Squash and Carrot kootu

Recipe

Equipment

▢ bowl
▢ Grinder
▢ Pot

Ingredients

▢ 3 cups Poosanikkai / Ash Gourd / White pumpkin chopped into ½ inch pieces
▢ ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
▢ 1 cup Yogurt preferable a little sour
▢ to taste Salt

To Grind into paste -

▢ ½ cup Coconut -
▢ 1½ cup Cumin seeds
▢ 4-5 Green chilies
▢ 1 teaspoon Raw rice

To season -

▢ 2 teaspoon Oil preferable coconut oil
▢ 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
▢ 1 teaspoon Ullutham paruppu / Urad dal
▢ few Curry leaves
▢ a pinch Asafetida

Instructions

Chop the ash gourd / poosanikkai into bite size cubes. Place it in a pan with about ½ cup of water and turmeric powder.
Let the vegetable cook until they are soft.
Meanwhile, grind the coconut, green chilies, cumin seeds and rice into a smooth paste. You could add a little water when grinding.
Combine this mixture with the whisked yogurt and keep it ready
Once the vegetable is cooked well, drain any excess water. Add salt needed and the coconut mixture and let the kootu simmer for flavors to combine.
Heat oil for seasoning and add the seasoning ingredients. Add it to the simmering kootu.
Serve hot with rice , paruppu (dal) and ghee!

Nutrition

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