Puducherry Pudalangai Kootu | Snake Gourd Dal Recipe from Pondicherry | Gluten Free and Vegan Recipe

Hi Supermoms,

The love and enthusiasm to explore new cities , their culture and food has been there in my system since childhood 😇. I always looked forward to our family road  trips and train journeys . Fresh sugar cane juice, puliodarai and sweet pongal in temples are some of my favourites even till date. 

I always used to dream about my father getting posted in North India as I was very keen to speak Hindi language and get to see and know people and places there. In fact my love for the language was so much that I used to learn Hindi by watching TV serials 😅 ( Humlog and Buniyaad were my favourites). Of course, all those learnings were very useful much later in life when my better half  moved to North India . 

The reason I am sharing this is because you can imagine my joy when my parents actually moved to another city- Puducherry (Pondicherry). Though it was just a three hour drive from Chennai, yet there was something really soothing about that place. I used to simply look forward to staying in my parent's home  during my Children's summer holidays.  The beach, the ashram, food and the people were all so welcoming . 

Coming to today's recipe , "Kootu" is a Tamil word that means a 'mixture of many ingredients'.  I have earlier shared many varieties of kootu and in this Puducherry version, the main difference is the  use of coconut milk , dry red chillies and jeera. A dish that my mother often makes even now. 

A quick to make weekday dal/lentil recipe full of taste and health. 

Puducherry Pudalangai Kootu | Snake Gourd Dal Recipe  from Pondicherry :

Preparation time : 10 minutes

Cooking time : 25 minutes

Serves : 4

1 cup =250 ml cup

Ingredients :

2 cups snake gourd ( sliced thinly ) 

1/4 cup moong dal/husked and split green gram

1/4 cup channa dal/Bengal gram 

1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 cup coconut milk ( freshly squeezed or store bought)

salt to taste

For dry roasting and grinding ( Kootu Masala Powder):

5 dry red chillies ( I used Guntur chillies, adjust chillies according to the variety of chilli you are using)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

1 sprig curry leaves

For tempering :

2 teaspoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon thalippu Vadavam */Vadagam ( OR mustard seeds)

pinch of asafoetida

curry leaves ( optional)

* Vadagam is a sundried tempering mix that can be made at home or can be store bought. I used the store bought Vadagam. You can get this in any South Indian Store if you are residing outside India. 

Method :

1. Wash the snake gourd and both the dals together.

2. Add 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and pressure cook upto 3 whistles over low /medium flame and switch off.

3. Roast and grind the kootu masala.

4. Heat a kadai or thick bottom vessel with oil and temper with ingredients given for the same. 

5. Add the cooked snake gourd and dal mixture and salt .

6. To this, add the kootu masala powder and mix well.

7. Let it cook for 5 minutes and then add the coconut milk .

8. Let it simmer for just 3-4 minutes and switch off. 

Your flavourful Puducherry Style kootu is now ready .

Happy Cooking !!

With love,

Masterchefmom