Poosanikai Rasavangi Recipe – Ash Gourd Curry With Dal

Poosanikai Or Ash gourd Rasavangi is an authentic recipe from tamilnadu. In a Rasavangi, Ash Gourd is cooked with moong dal, chana dal , tamarind and fresh ground spices. Course : Lunch Ingridients : 1 1/2 cups Vellai Poosanikai (Ash gourd/White Pumpkin) , diced into cubes 1/4 cup Yellow Moong Dal (Split) 2 tablespoons Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal) 20 grams Tamarind , lemon sized 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 1 teaspoon White Urad Dal (Split) 1 sprig Curry leaves 2 teaspoon Oil Salt , as per your taste To roast and grind: 1/2 tablespoon White Urad Dal (Split) 1/2 tablespoon Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal) 1 1/2 tablespoon Coriander (Dhania) Seeds 5 Dry Red Chillies 1/4 cup Fresh coconut , grated Instructions To begin making Poosanikai / Ash Gourd Rasavangi recipe, make sure to soak tamarind in some hot water. After 15 minutes, extract pulp from the soaked tamarind - keep aside. In a pressure cooker, add rinsed chana dal, moong dal, chopped ash gourd pieces, tamarind extract, salt, turmeric powder and water. You can add 2 cups of water or enough water to make sure that all ingredients are submerged in the water. Pressure cook it for 3 whistles and release the pressure naturally. In a pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil and allow it to warmOnce the oil is warm, add chana dal, urad dal, dry red chillies, coriander seeds and roast until the spices turn aromatic and brownFinally add the grated coconut and roast until golden brown. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool. Once the coconut and spices have cool, grind them into a fine powder in a mixer.  Once the pressure cooker has release the pressure, open the lid and give it a good stir.Add the ground spices & coconut to cooked ash gourd and dal mixture - Stir well.In a tadka pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. When mustard seeds crackles, add urad dal and curry leaves. Saute it until urad dal turns golden brown.Finally pour this tempering over the Ash Gourd Rasavangi and it is ready to be served.Serve Poosanikai Rasavangi along with Steamed Rice, Carrot and Beans Poriyal and Elai Vadam for a complete South Indian Style lunch