White pumpkin kootu - Ash gourd kootu

White pumpkin or Ash gourd is an easily available vegetable with lots of health benefits. 

Ash gourd is rich in water, vitamins B, C, other minerals, and fiber.  

A small cup of  Ash gourd juice with the same amount of water can be taken in the morning on an empty stomach to cure peptic ulcers. It has an important place in our Ayurvedic medicine.

This is a very easy and simple side dish, which you can prepare swiftly. This is a good combination for variety rices like tamarind rice, coconut rice etc. 

Ingredients :

White pumpkin - 1 cup 
(chopped into small cubes)

Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Green chili or Red chili -  2 nos
Fresh, thick buttermilk
Salt to taste

Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds
Asafoetida - a pinch






Preparation:

In a vessel cook ash gourd by adding salt and water. Just sprinkle water and cook it for a few minutes.   

Ash gourd is a watery vegetable.   So take care of water. It cooks very quickly.  Remove it from the stove and let it cool down a little. 

Now grind coconut and green chili / red chili with buttermilk and add this to cooked ash gourd. You have to add the paste only after the ash gourd is cooled, otherwise, it will curdle.

Then heat coconut oil in a tempering/tadka pan, splutter mustard seeds, add a little asafoetida and curry leaves and add this. 

Yummy white pumpkin kootu is ready.