{"id":857,"date":"2007-08-29T22:19:25","date_gmt":"2007-08-30T05:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/archives\/2007\/08\/29\/beerakayapesara-pappu-kootu\/"},"modified":"2008-04-06T18:49:14","modified_gmt":"2008-04-07T01:49:14","slug":"beerakayapesara-pappu-kootu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/archives\/2007\/08\/29\/beerakayapesara-pappu-kootu\/","title":{"rendered":"Beerakaya~Pesara Pappu Kootu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ridge gourd and Moong Dal :<\/h3>\n

I see the world around me. There is a deep tantric style worship of all-purpose flour<\/a> and its endless avatars. All-purpose flour, butter, eggs and sugar:<\/font> the central content is the same but by just changing the vessel and the decorations, several different avatars are possible. Like the prayers to the Gods, the all-purpose flour mantram resonates like this: cakes… yum<\/em>, cookies… yum<\/em>, cupcakes… yum<\/em>, muffins… yum<\/em>, bread… yum<\/em>, biscotti… yum<\/em>, pizzas, pies, scones… yum … yum … yum … <\/em>the mantram goes on. The sugar bliss and the atma content follow… yum!<\/em><\/p>\n

I am amazed by this boundless fascination all-purpose flour attracts. The Maya intensity of all-purpose flour is so great that each of its avatars is perceived as its own creation. I too use the flour mantram, but the avatars are limited to chapati… yum<\/em>, puri… yum<\/em>, paratha… yum<\/em>. I’m just talking out loud.<\/p>\n

Anyway, cakes and cookies could be divinely delicious, but vegetables are what inspire me to cook and write. Vegetables keep me happy in a world which is insanely flour-sugar coated. So here it is, another sane vegetable recipe from an all-purpose flour atheist. A hearty, dense, satisfying dal recipe with ridge gourd and moong dal<\/a>, called Kootu<\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Attempt this kootu<\/em> recipe only when you have asafetida in your kitchen. Because the tiny amount of asafetida is what makes the recipe come alive. Onions and garlic are a big no but potatoes are a must. Ridge gourd, drumsticks<\/a> and brinjal<\/a> separately or together in combination are added to cooked, watery moong dal. And the whole thing gets simmered until a thick, honey like consistency is achieved. This is a good dal recipe for people who have low tolerance levels for onions and garlic, and also during early pregnancy times. Mild and soothing, this moong dal Kootu is a favorite for moong fans like me.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nRidge gourd, Red Potato, Lime and Yellow Moong Dal ~ Ingredients for Pesara pappu Kootu<\/small><\/center><\/p>\n

Recipe:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Step 1:<\/strong> <\/font> 1 cup yellow moong dal<\/a> – Roast the yellow moong dal to pale red color in an iron skillet. Take the roasted dal in a pressure-cooker, add about 4 cups of water and pressure-cook to soft. Then, lightly mash the dal to smooth consistency.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile blend six green chillies, two tablespoons of grated fresh coconut and a pinch of salt to smooth paste.<\/p>\n

Step 2:<\/strong><\/font> In a saucepan – add a teaspoon of oil. Add and saute two cups of cubed potatoes first. Once the potatoes are half cooked, add 2 cups of finely chopped ridge gourd pieces and saute to tender. (3 potatoes and 1 ridge gourd.)<\/p>\n

To the vegetables, add the mashed moong dal, green chilli-coconut paste, ½ tsp each -turmeric and salt, plus a quarter cup of lime\/lemon juice, along with two cups of water. Mix, have a taste and adjust the spice, salt to your liking. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

Step 3:<\/strong> <\/font>In the end, do the popu or tadka<\/a><\/em>. Add and toast few curry leaves, dried red chilli pieces, cumin and mustard seeds and quarter teaspoon of asafetida in an iron skillet in a small amount of oil or ghee. Add the toasted contents to simmering dal. Mix and serve hot with chapatis. A state of bliss will surely follow.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nBeerakaya Pesara Pappu Kootu ~ for a Light Meal <\/small><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ridge gourd and Moong Dal : I see the world around me. There is a deep tantric style worship of all-purpose flour and its endless avatars. All-purpose flour, butter, eggs and sugar: the central content is the same but by just changing the vessel and the decorations, several different avatars are possible. Like the prayers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,63,115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-authentic-andhra","category-beera-kaayaridege-gourd","category-moong-dalwashed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nandyala.org\/mahanandi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}