Ash guord/White pumpkin yoghurt gravy - Poosanikkai morkuzhambu

Ingredients:

Ash guord/White pumpkin - Vellai poosanikkai - small quantity
Curd/Yoghurt - Thayir - 1 cup
Black gram dal - Ulutham paruppu - 1 table spoon
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai paruppu - 1 table spoon
Red gram dal - Thuvaram paruppu - 1 table spoon
Rice - Arisi - 1 table spoon
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Grated/shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - small quantity
Ginger - Inji - small piece
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - a pinch
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Green chilly - Pachai milagai - 2 nos.
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak red gram dal, bengal gram dal and rice in water for 1 hour. Grind it to paste. Grind coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies to a paste.
2. Make ginger paste, wash and cut white pumpkin into small cubes. Keep other ingredients ready. Make yoghurt.
3. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, add asafoetida, cumin seeds, ginger, black gram dal, curry leaves and then add the dal paste and add little turmeric powder and salt.
4. Now add grinded coconut paste. Keep stirring. Finally add yoghurt. After adding yoghurt it should not be allowed to boil for more than 5 minutes. Finally add chopped coriander leaves.

Delicious morkuzhambu is ready to be served. It can be served for 3 persons. It requires hardly 20 minutes to cook. It can be served along with white rice.

Note: Always use fresh vegetables and curd can be little sour. It will taste good for this receipe.

Optional: Red chilly can be added instead of green chilly. We can mix yoghurt with asafoetida and turmeric powder. Ingredients can be added/removed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_gourd

If God has intended us to follow receipes, He wouldn't have given us grand mothers.
Linda Henley