Poosanikai Kootu Poricha Kootu White Pumpkin Kootu

In Tamil language the word poricha means fried and kootu means a mix or mixture. Poricha kootu is made by frying or roasting urad dal (black gram) and red chilies. Black pepper is also added. Its basically a mix of cooked lentils, veggies and ground spices+coconut paste. At times I make kootu with some veggies. I have already shared Cabbage kootu before. In this recipe I have used ash gourd aka white pumpkin. Thus this recipe is also called as vellai poosanikai kootu in Tamil. Apart from white pumpkin, mixed veggies or vegetables like snake gourd, pumpkin, chow chow, green leafy vegetables, drumsticks, green beans, brinjal can be added. This poosanikai kootu recipe is a no onion no garlic recipe. Usually a kootu is more thick than a Sambar. You can also call kootu as vegetable dal recipe. In this recipe I have used moong dal. You can even use arhar dal (tuvar dal). Whenever I make recipes where cooked dal is used, I cook both dal and rice in a pressure cooker together most of the times. When I have lot of time, I cook dal separately. In this post I have cooked both moong dal and rice in a pressure cooker together. This recipe of poricha kootu is spicy. To reduce the spiciness and heat, add less dry red chilies and black pepper. Poosanikai kootu is best served with steamed rice.

How to make Poricha Kootu

A) roasting and making ground paste:

1. Heat a small pan. Keep the heat to a low and add 2 teaspoons urad dal.
2. Stirring often sauté urad dal till the lentils become light golden and aromatic. However take care not to burn them.
3. Add 1 to 2 byadagi chilies or Kashmiri red chilies (halved and seeds removed). For less spiciness you can use add 1 dry red chili.
4. Stirring often for some seconds roast till the red chilies change color. Switch off the heat. Keep the roasted urad dal and red chilies in a separate plate and let them cool.
5. In a small grinder jar, add the roasted urad dal and red chilies. Also add ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. For a less spicy taste you can add ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
6. Also add ¼ cup fresh grated coconut.
7. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside. B) cooking dal
8. Rinse ⅓ cup moong dal a couple of times in fresh water. Drain the water well and add the lentils in a bowl or small pan which we will place inside a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 cup water to the lentils.
9. Cover the pan or bowl with a lid. In the cooker at the bottom, in another pan, I have kept rice to be cooked. Also add 1.5 cups water in the pressure cooker. If you are cooking moong dal in a pot, then add 2 cups water.
10. Pressure cook on medium heat for 6 to 7 whistles or 9 to 10 minutes. The rice I have used is hand pounded rice (pre-soaked for 30 minutes) which takes a long time to cook. If using white rice, then cook the rice and dal separately.
11. When the pressure settles down on its own, then only open the lid and with the help of tongs and remove the bowl carefully. Mash the cooked dal and keep aside.

Making Poosanikai kootu

13. When the dal is getting pressure cooked, you can cook the ash gourd. In a separate pan or pot, take 1.5 cups peeled and chopped ash gourd.
14. Add ½ cup water.
15. Cover the pan and on a medium-low heat cook the ash gourd.
16. In between do check. If the water has evaporated, then you can add some more water and continue to cover and cook.
17. Simmer ash gourd for 14 to 15 minutes or till they are tender and cooked.
18. Lower the heat or you can switch off the flame. Add the mashed dal and the ground paste.
19. Also add salt as per taste.
20. Add ½ to ¾ cup water or as required. The amount of water can be added as per the consistency you want. ½ cup water gives a thick consistency.
21. Stir and mix very well.
22. Simmer on a low heat till the kootu comes to a gentle boil. do stir while cooking, so that the moong lentils do not stick to the base of the pan. Once the ash gourd kootu comes to a boil, then switch off the heat and cover the pan.

Tempering for poosanikai kootu

23. Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
24. Keep the heat to a low. Then add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
25. Add ½ teaspoon urad dal.
26. Fry till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden. Instead of coconut oil, you can also use cold pressed sesame oil (gingelly oil) or peanut or sunflower oil.
27. Then add 10 to 12 curry leaves and one generous pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir and then switch off the heat.
28. Pour the tempered ingredients in the vellai poosanikai kootu.
29. Cover the pan for 5 minutes so that the tempering flavors infuse in the poosanikai kootu.
30. Serve white pumpkin kootu with steamed rice. While serving you can also add a few chopped coriander leaves as a garnish. More tasty recipes for you!

Moong dalParippu curryMamidikaya pappu

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. This Poosanikai Kootu post from the archives, originally published in February 2018 has been updated and republished on January 2023.

title: “Poosanikai Kootu Poricha Kootu White Pumpkin Kootu” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-31” author: “Melinda Bell”

In Tamil language the word poricha means fried and kootu means a mix or mixture. Poricha kootu is made by frying or roasting urad dal (black gram) and red chilies. Black pepper is also added. Its basically a mix of cooked lentils, veggies and ground spices+coconut paste. At times I make kootu with some veggies. I have already shared Cabbage kootu before. In this recipe I have used ash gourd aka white pumpkin. Thus this recipe is also called as vellai poosanikai kootu in Tamil. Apart from white pumpkin, mixed veggies or vegetables like snake gourd, pumpkin, chow chow, green leafy vegetables, drumsticks, green beans, brinjal can be added. This poosanikai kootu recipe is a no onion no garlic recipe. Usually a kootu is more thick than a Sambar. You can also call kootu as vegetable dal recipe. In this recipe I have used moong dal. You can even use arhar dal (tuvar dal). Whenever I make recipes where cooked dal is used, I cook both dal and rice in a pressure cooker together most of the times. When I have lot of time, I cook dal separately. In this post I have cooked both moong dal and rice in a pressure cooker together. This recipe of poricha kootu is spicy. To reduce the spiciness and heat, add less dry red chilies and black pepper. Poosanikai kootu is best served with steamed rice.

How to make Poricha Kootu

A) roasting and making ground paste:

1. Heat a small pan. Keep the heat to a low and add 2 teaspoons urad dal.
2. Stirring often sauté urad dal till the lentils become light golden and aromatic. However take care not to burn them.
3. Add 1 to 2 byadagi chilies or Kashmiri red chilies (halved and seeds removed). For less spiciness you can use add 1 dry red chili.
4. Stirring often for some seconds roast till the red chilies change color. Switch off the heat. Keep the roasted urad dal and red chilies in a separate plate and let them cool.
5. In a small grinder jar, add the roasted urad dal and red chilies. Also add ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. For a less spicy taste you can add ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
6. Also add ¼ cup fresh grated coconut.
7. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside. B) cooking dal
8. Rinse ⅓ cup moong dal a couple of times in fresh water. Drain the water well and add the lentils in a bowl or small pan which we will place inside a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 cup water to the lentils.
9. Cover the pan or bowl with a lid. In the cooker at the bottom, in another pan, I have kept rice to be cooked. Also add 1.5 cups water in the pressure cooker. If you are cooking moong dal in a pot, then add 2 cups water.
10. Pressure cook on medium heat for 6 to 7 whistles or 9 to 10 minutes. The rice I have used is hand pounded rice (pre-soaked for 30 minutes) which takes a long time to cook. If using white rice, then cook the rice and dal separately.
11. When the pressure settles down on its own, then only open the lid and with the help of tongs and remove the bowl carefully. Mash the cooked dal and keep aside.

Making Poosanikai kootu

13. When the dal is getting pressure cooked, you can cook the ash gourd. In a separate pan or pot, take 1.5 cups peeled and chopped ash gourd.
14. Add ½ cup water.
15. Cover the pan and on a medium-low heat cook the ash gourd.
16. In between do check. If the water has evaporated, then you can add some more water and continue to cover and cook.
17. Simmer ash gourd for 14 to 15 minutes or till they are tender and cooked.
18. Lower the heat or you can switch off the flame. Add the mashed dal and the ground paste.
19. Also add salt as per taste.
20. Add ½ to ¾ cup water or as required. The amount of water can be added as per the consistency you want. ½ cup water gives a thick consistency.
21. Stir and mix very well.
22. Simmer on a low heat till the kootu comes to a gentle boil. do stir while cooking, so that the moong lentils do not stick to the base of the pan. Once the ash gourd kootu comes to a boil, then switch off the heat and cover the pan.

Tempering for poosanikai kootu

23. Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
24. Keep the heat to a low. Then add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
25. Add ½ teaspoon urad dal.
26. Fry till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden. Instead of coconut oil, you can also use cold pressed sesame oil (gingelly oil) or peanut or sunflower oil.
27. Then add 10 to 12 curry leaves and one generous pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir and then switch off the heat.
28. Pour the tempered ingredients in the vellai poosanikai kootu.
29. Cover the pan for 5 minutes so that the tempering flavors infuse in the poosanikai kootu.
30. Serve white pumpkin kootu with steamed rice. While serving you can also add a few chopped coriander leaves as a garnish. More tasty recipes for you!

Moong dalParippu curryMamidikaya pappu

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. This Poosanikai Kootu post from the archives, originally published in February 2018 has been updated and republished on January 2023.