Bottlegourd Molagootal

Molagootal is a very common dish in a Kerala Iyer family.  In my mom's house, people prefer molagootal than Sambar or rasam. Even now my mami makes this twice or thrice a week. I like molagootal with some thogayal. This is bottle gourd molagootal I made couple of days before. I started using bottle gourd when we were in Delhi last year. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Bottle Gourd - 1 1/2 cups (chopped into small cubes)
2. Toor dhall - 1 cup
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 + 1/4 tsp
4. salt to taste

To Grind:-

1. coconut - 1/4 cup
2. Green Chillies - 4 or 5 (acc to taste
3. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

To Temper:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Curry leaves - few
4. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
5. Hing -  few pinches
6. Red Chillies - 1 (optional

Pressure cook toor dhall with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and keep it aside. In the mean time, take a pan, put the bottle gourd pieces and required amount of water, salt & turmeric powder and let it cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Bottle Gourd usually takes less time to cook.  Grind the ingredients given "To Grind" to a fine paste and keep it aside. When vegetable is half done,  add the grounded paste to it and let it boil for 5 more minutes or till the raw smell of green chillies go away. Now add the cooked toor dhall to the ingredients and add required amount of water to adjust the consistency. Now the molagootal/bottle gourd dhall is ready to serve.  Take a small pan, pre heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry urad dhall curry leaves, red chillie & hing to golden brown and pour it on top of the molagootal.  Serve it hot. It goes well with steamy rice or even with rotis/chapathis.