Pudalangai Thengai Paal Kootu – Paal Kuzhambu – Snakegourd Moongdal

Pudalangai Thengai Paal Kootu – Pudalangai Paal Kootu – Snakegourd Moongdal in coconut milk – How to make South Indian Paal kottu Kuzhambu  Paal Kootu  is a simple gravy style dish that is prepared in our home… with combination of 1 dal (any variety) + 1 Veggie (any type) + Milk (Boiled regular milk / Coconut Milk ) the consistency varies though….its referred as kootu for which the… a little of milk / coconut garnish is added mostly we make it like a gravy which we have with rice or chapathi… technically its a kuzhambu  🙂 but mostly referred as “Kootu” it all depends at what stage you finish the dish. Keeping it thick makes it a kootu… keeping it light makes it a kuzhambu!

Try our KALE KOOTU        KEERAI THANDU KOOTU        CHOW CHOW KOOTU

My mom’s place is chennai based and mostly she resorts to adding coconut paste and very little milk at the end…. my MIL’s place which is Pondicherry… everything is coconut based, she likes to add thick coconut milk to these type of gravies…. so its basically a personal preference  😛  add whichever you like.  Mostly at home use Moong or Channa Dal .is what we add.. very rarely its Toor dal… and some veggies that we prefer for this gravy are Snake gourd / Cabbage / White Pumpkin / Chow Chow / Bottle Gourd / Ridge Gourd

Print Recipe

Pudalangai Thengai Paal Kootu

Pudalangai Thengai Paal Kootu  is a simple gravy style dish prepared in our home… with combination of 1 dal (any variety) + 1 Veggie (any type) + Milk (Boiled regular milk / Coconut Milk ) 

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: kootu, paalkootu, pudalangai, snakegourd

Servings: 4 people

Author: Mullai Madavan

Ingredients

Ingredients to temper

• 1/2 teaspoon ghee
• 2 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon split black gram
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
• 5 leaves curry leaves

Ingredients for the gravy

• 1 whole snake gourd or 2 cups (chopped)
• 1/2 cup pasi paruppu / yellow mong dal
• 1 cup onion
• 4 each green chilli slit open (add extra to make it spicy)
• 1 tablespoon ginger minced
• 1 teaspoon salt kosher or kallu uppu
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup coconut milk dilute
• 5 leaves curry leaves

Instructions

• Soak Moong dal for 30 minutes. Also wash, scrape the white skinny skin on top of it… cut open remove all the seeds & the spongy tissues (discard). Chop the thick layer of the veggies into tiny pieces.
• Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker pan and temper with mustard seeds, split black gram, cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.
• Add in chopped onion, green chili, ginger and chopped snake gourd. Saute well for few minutes.
• Now add in the soaked moong dal along with 1 cup water.  Add in salt. Cover and pressure cook upto 2 whistles.
• Gently mash it with a ladle and add in 1 cup coconut milk and simmer for few minutes. Switch off!
• Garnish with curry leaves. 

Lets see how to make this Pudalangai Thengai Paal Kootu Kuzhambu….

Try our BOTTLE GOURD KOOTU KARI

To be honest many roast the the dal and then cook it… but I personally like to soak rather than roasting… its cooks to perfection and also good for you. So, I am soaking Moong dal for 30 minutes. Also wash, scrape the white skinny skin on top of it… cut open remove all the seeds & the spongy tissues (discard). Chop the thick layer of the veggies into tiny pieces.

Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker pan and temper with mustard seeds, split black gram, cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.    Try our CABBAGE KOOTU

Add in chopped onion, green chili, ginger and chopped snake gourd. Saute well for few minutes.

Now add in the soaked moong dal along  with 1 cup water. Try our KOVAKKAI PORICHA KOOTU

Add in salt. (adding kosher / crystal / edible rick salt / kallu uppu make sit very tasty)

Cover and pressure cook upto 2 whistles.  My fav Kootu here… RIDGE GOURD KOOTU

When you open… everything will be perfectly cooked… the dal will be mushy, the veggie will hold its shape and all the tempering imparts the flavor & comes to the top.

Gently mash it with a ladle. (add a little coconut garnish and light milk will make it “kootu”) the thick version.

We go one step ahead…. add in 1 cup coconut milk and simmer for few minutes. (Now at this stage you may choose to add either coconut milk or regular boiled milk)

Garnish with curry leaves. Enjoy with rice topped with ghee…. Our plate looked like this….

It also goes well with chapati! Another version of thick PUDALANGAI KOOTU

Notes

• Serves 4
• Add coconut garnish or coconut milk powder instead to keep it thick.
• If you add regular boiled milk… bring the flame to low and add the milk, do not cook longer once you add the milk.
• We never add any red chili powder or coriander powder…. and the only element of heat is green chillies.
• Turmeric powder is optional… you may if you wish to have some color.
• You may use Toor dal or Channa dal or Moong dal… or a combination of all!