Green gram bottle gourd curry(Pasipayaru suraikkai kulambu)

Ingredients:

• Green gram(whole) – 1/2 cup
• Bottle guard – 1/2 of a small one
• Onion – 1/2
• Tomato – 1
  
• Hing – a pinch
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Masala powder or Chili powder – 1/2 to 1 teaspoon
  
• Mustard seeds and Urad dal – 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry leaves – few
  
• Salt – to taste
• Oil

Recipe:

1. Remove the skin of bottle guard and cut it into pieces. Cut Onion and Tomato into pieces. Keep them aside.
   
2. Pressure cook Green gram dal(whole) and keep it aside. To pressure cook, use 1 ½ cups of water for 1/2 cup of dal and leave up to 2 to 3 whistles. Mash the cooked dal coarsely.
   
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and Urad dal to the pan. Once it splutters, add curry leaves and Onion. Fry till Onion turns into light brown.
4. Add bottle guard pieces and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add tomatoes and fry till it get mashed.
   
5. Add Hing, Turmeric powder, Masala powder or Chili powder and fry till the raw smell of masala goes.
6. Add 2 cups of water to it. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bottle guard pieces are cooked.
7. Once it is cooked add the coarsely mashed dal, a cup of water and Salt to it . Bring this to boil once and remove from heat.

Goes well with: White rice