Poosanikai vathal/ Kuzhambu vathal/Ash gourd vathal

Poosanikai vathal is the easiest and very tasty vathal. Also we can use the entire ash gourd unlike the other ash gourd dishes. It is a South Indian dish.

Ingredients: 

Ash gourd / white poosanikai - 1/2 kg

Urid dal - 1 cup

Red chili - 10 to 15

Hinge- 1/4tsp

Fresh curry leaves - few

Salt - as required (1tbs)

Method:

1. Wash the ash gourd and remove the skin and keep aside. you can cut off the skin along with some flesh which will be easier.
2. Take the urid dal and red chili in a broad vessel.
3.  Cut the flesh part along with the seed into small pieces and add over the urid dal. Mix well. Leave it aside for at least 2hrs. Urid dal gets soaked by the water in ash gourd pieces.
   
   
   
4. Grind the skin first well and then grind the urid dal, red chili, salt, hinge, curry leaves and ash gourd pieces into a coarse paste.
   
   
   

 5. Using a table spoon, drop on a plastic sheet and dry under the sun for two days and store in an air           tight container.

Tips:

• You can cut the ash gourd and soak the urid dal the previous day evening, grind and refrigerate. 
• Next day morning you can put the vathal before 8am.
•  Do not soak urid dal separately which will increase the water and it might affect the consistency.
• This can be fried in very little oil and used for verum kuzhambu , more kuzhambu instead of the vegetable as a than.
• This can be used in seasoning keerai masiyal by breaking it into bits along with vepambu and other ingredients.
  
  
  
  

18. Avial kuzhambu

Avial kuzhambu is the simplest and delicious gravy.

Ingredients:
Curd / Butter milk (sour) - 1 cup
Salt - 1 tbs
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Hinge - a pinch
Rice flour - 1tbs

Ash gourd - 1 cup(Chopped)
Potato - 1/2 cup (Chopped)
Carrot - 4 pieces
Broad beans (avaraikai) - 1/2 cup
Brinjal - 2 chopped
colocasia -4 (pressure cooked)

For grinding:
Grated coconut - 1cup
Green chilli - 7
Jeera - 1 tsp

Seasoning:
Coconut oil - 1tbs
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Vendhayam - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Boil all the vegetables adding salt, turmeric powder and hinge 3 cups of water.
2. Grind all the items mentioned into a thin paste and add to the boiling vegetables.
3. Stir well and allow it to boil.
4. Churn the curd well and add. Then add rice flour paste. 
5. Heat till the gravy just rise up. Add boiling water if the consistency is very thick.
6. Season and serve hot along with rice and fried applam/vathal/vadam.