Snake Gourd & Milk Curry - Pudalangai Paal Curry

Serves 4
I found this fresh snake gourd at the Asian store and couldn't resist buying it. But once I got home,I had a tough time settling on what dish to prepare with it. Found this recipe in a magazine and it was surprisingly tasty when prepared.Though the recipes calls for Dhal ,it only makes it creamier and doesn't taste like a regular Dhal dish.Makes a great side for rice and rotis. I'm still trying to figure out why,but when I cooked this the smell strongly reminded me of 'saravan bhavan' :)

You'll Need:
Snake Gourd - 250 g ( 1/2 a long one)
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Boiled Milk - 1 cup
Onion - 1 big (finely chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ural dal - 1 tsp
Ghee - 3 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
salt as needed
To Roast and Grind in 1 tsp of oil :
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Green Chilli - 2 -3
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

Method:
-Clean the Snake Gourd and scrape the skin slightly. Cut into half lengthwise and remove the seeds.Chop into medium size pieces.
-Soak the moong dal for 30 minutes in water.
-To a pressure cooker, add the moong dal, snake gourd,3/4 cup water,little salt and cook for 1 whistle on high and simmer for 5 minutes.
-To a pan add one tsp of oil,when it heats up add the urad dal and cumin and saute until the urad dal slightly browns.Then add the green chiili and coconut and saute for 3-4 minutes on a low flame,until the coconut is slightly browned.Let it cool .Grind to a fine paste ,adding little water.
-To a pan add the ghee and when it heats up splutter the curry leaves,cumin and mustard seeds.Add the chopped onion and saute until they turn slightly brown.
-Add the cooked Dhal and Snake gourd mixture and mix well.Next add the ground paste and mix well.
-Add the boiled milk,mix well and check for salt.Add salt if needed.Check for the consistency, if you want it to be more thin add some water.
-Let the mixture simmer for 4 -5 minutes . Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Happy Cooking !

Sending this to 'Only Traditional Recipes' Guest hosted at 'Jiya's Delicacies' and  Pari's space...