Moru Kootan

Moru Kootan – My husband’s favorite dish. He simply loves this curry made out of sour curd and ground coconut. This can be made with vegetables like Ash gourd, Pumpkin, Raw bananas, Carrots, Yam, or Colocassia (Chembu). Today I am  doing a post on Elavan moru kootan i.e. Ash gourd 

Ingredients                                         Serves 3 to 4 

1.       Elavan (Ash gourd) cut into big cubes – 1 cup

2.       Thick Curd (sour) – 1.5 cups

3.       Grated Coconut – 1 cup

4.       Green Chilies – 2 or 3
5.       Turmeric Powder – a pinch

6.       Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

7.       Dried Red Chillies - 1

8.       Methi seeds  - ¼ tsp

9.       Coconut Oil – 1 tsp

10.   Curry leaves

Method

1. In a vessel add the chopped ashgourd and about 1.5 cups of water. 
2. Add turmeric powder and salt and boil until the ashgourd pieces are cooked.
3. Grind coconut with green chillies into a paste. Use a little of the curd for grinding instead of water.
4. Add the ground paste to the cooked ashgourd. 
5. Mix well. 
6. Now whisk the sour curd without any lumps and add to the coconut ashgourd mixture. Check for consistency and salt. 
7. Simmer until the kootan froths up. Do not boil after adding curd. Remove from heat. 
8. Temper with Mustard, Red Chillies and Methi seeds. Garnish with curry leaves.