A simple, healthy traditional coconut based dish with the addition of ashgourd/ winter melon/ white pumpkin/ kohala/ that has loads of health benefits. Ashgourd or white gourd/ winter melon in also known as kohala in Marathi is a common vegetable, and it comes with many therapeutic properties. This veg is rich in nutrients, helps to fight many ailments as well as prevent them. Loaded with phosphorous, calcium, Vitamin C, iron etc it is nutritious as well as has many healing properties . Today I’d like to share a temple style Manglorean  recipe Kuvale Pullikodel shared by Chef Shailesh Bhat. A very yum recipe, right for the festive season wherein we prepare no onion no garlic recipes. The taste is very close to the temple style recipe. Very easy to prepare, this is a versatile recipe, wherein there are minor recipe changes regionwise. Do try this delicious recipe. 

RECIPE CREDITS : Chef Shailesh Bhat

RECIPE :

Tempering

METHOD :
Rinse the ash gourd, peel the skin, cut it into cubes and discard the seeds. A few small ones here and there is just fine. 
Heat one cup water in a heavy bottomed pan, add a bit of salt, a little jaggery ( I added 1 tsp jaggery first )4 curry leaves, then add the cubed ashgourd and let it cook till half done.
As the ashgourd is getting cooked, heat a seasoning pan, add the freshly scraped coconut and roast till golden brown and transfer to a plate. Next add 1/2 tsp oil to the same pan, add bengal gram, black gram dal, rice and roast till golden, do not over roast. Transfer to another plate. In the same pan add 1/2 tsp oil, roast the spices ( coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds) till golden, then lastly add the sesame seeds, saute a bit, once they start popping, transfer to a plate. Lastly roast the dry red chillies a bit till crisp. Now grind all the roasted ingredients, 1/8 tsp turmeric powder, a pinch of asafoetida and a piece of tamarind EXCEPT the coconut. First grind it without adding water, then add water and grind it to a paste. Then add the roasted coconut and grind it to a slightly coarse paste. A slightly coarse texture enhances the taste of the gravy. Add this masala paste to the half cooked ashgourd. As the ashgourd gets cooked it will change colour too. Add hot water as required to get the desired consistency. But you really won’t need to add much water as ashgourd releases a lot of water by itself. The curry should neither be thick nor thin. Add salt and jaggery as per taste. Check the balance of flavours and adjust the flavours accordingly. Cook till done.
Heat a seasoning pan add 2 tsp oil, add mustard seeds, once they splutter immediately add curry leaves, dry red chilly and pour the tempering over the ashgourd curry and cover it so that the flavours sink into the gravy. Serve hot with steaming hot rice.