Boodu kumbala koddel (Winter Melon Curry)

Another easy koddel (Koddel is a Tulu word for sambar/curry) to prepare is Kumbala koddel. As you all know, kumbala kayi (Ash gourd or Winter melon) is a cooling vegetable; so, it pays to eat this vegetable in the Singapore tropical climate. It is also low in calories; so, all you diet freaks out there, it's time to pick up a ash gourd and prepare this sambar.

BTW, there is no sambar powder concept in south canara and the usage of toor dal is also very minimal. Keeping all this in mind, here goes my 'south canara style' kumbda koddel:



Ingredients:
1/2 kg ash gourd(Peel out the skin, remove the seeds and chop the vegetable)
1/2 coconut grated (around 1.5 cups fresh/frozen)
3-4 red chillies
1 tsp jeerige (cumin seeds)
2.5 tsp dhania (coriander seeds)
1/4th tsp methi seeds(fenugreek seeds)
1 tbsp thick tamarind extract
jaggery (1 medium grape size)
salt according to taste

For tempering/tadka:
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
coriander leaves (for garneshing)

Method:

• Add enough water to ash gourd & cook it until soft (Need not pressure cook as this would become soft quite fast)
• Dry roast the jeera, dhania, methi seeds & dry red chilli seperately & allow it cool for a while.
• Make a paste of the above dry roasted spices along with the coconut. Dont add too much water to prepare the paste.
• Add tamarind extract, salt & jaggery to the cooked ash gourd & bring it to a boil again. (This is to ensure that the tamarind is cooked well & the raw smell of tamarind is no more).
• Now add the masala paste to the ash gourd & cook it in a slow flame for 5 minutes or untill the mixture becomes thick.
• Prepare the tadka in a small pan. Add oil, when oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves, asafoetida & add this tadka to the koddel prepared.
  
• Garnesh it with coriander leaves. Koddel is ready to be served.

Note: There is no toor dal added to this koddel, thickness of the sambar depends on the amount of coconut + water added to this.

This is also called as hasi masale huli (hasi = raw, masale = spices, huli = sambar/curry).
Believe me, this sambar tastes so good because of the hasi masale.

Wow!!, I started smelling the aroma of this sambar right now, even though I prepared this sometime back..