kootukari

Ingredients
Ash Gourd – 2 cups, peeled and diced into small cubes
Yam – 1 cup, peeled and diced into small cubes
Channa Dal/Kadala Paruppu – 3 tbsp
Grated Fresh Coconut – ½ cup
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Chilly Powder – ½ tsp
Salt to taste

For tempering
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
White broken urad dal – 1 tsp
Dried Red Chilly - 1 or 2
Scraped Fresh Coconut – ½ cup
Curry Leaves – few sprigs

Method
Soak the Kadala paruppu for about 1 hr.
Heat a kadai, and add the soaked dal with just enough water and cook until the dal is almost done.
To this add the chopped vegetables, turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt and jaggery add water, such that the vegetables are just immersed and cook until the vegetables are soft yet retain their shape.
Grind ½ cup of coconut with cumin seeds into a smooth paste adding a little water.
Add the ground paste to the cooked dal and vegetables and mix well. Check for seasoning.
In the meanwhile, heat another kadai with oil.
Temper with mustard seeds then add the urad dal, as soon as the dal starts changing color, add the coconut and fry till dark brown. Also add the dry red chillies and few curry leaves in this.
Pour this tempering over the prepared vegetable dal mixture and mix well.