Ash gourd turned into pulissery, a comforting vegetarian dish…
Pulissery, a highly versatile Kerala vegetarian dish, can be prepared using an array of vegetables and fruits, making it a delightful culinary choice.
Every time I make pulissery I make it with a different kind of vegetable or fruit & all of them have turned out awesome. It’s one of the side dishes served in Kerala Sadhya & is also served with rice for lunch in Kerala.
Vegetables like okra, beetroot, cucumber, ash gourd, pumpkin & fruits like mango, pineapple, apple, ripe plantains can be added to making this particular dish.
Ground coconut & yogurt are added to the vegetables or fruits, and topped with an aromatic tempering. It’s comforting & tastes delicious when eaten with rice.
- Ash Gourd, diced- 2 cups
- Turmeric powder- ⅛ tsp
- Green chili, halved- 1 or 2
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Water- ½ cup
- Coconut grated- 1 cup
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Water-1/2 cup
- Yogurt or Curd- 1 cup
- Coconut Oil- 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
- Whole dried red chilies- 2, halved
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Ash gourd or winter melon is available in all Indian stores & most Canadian stores these days.
- Peel off the skin, discard the seeds & dice the ash gourd.
- I've used 2 cups of diced ash gourd.
- In a saucepan, combine diced ash gourd with turmeric powder, green chilies, curry leaves, salt, and water.
- Cook covered for 5 minutes till the ash gourd turns soft. Do not overcook & let them turn mushy.
- Grind all the above-mentioned ingredients ‘to grind’ in a blender to a smooth paste.
- Add the ground coconut paste to the cooked ash gourd, combine well & cook for 5 minutes until the raw smell of the coconut goes away.
- Take the yogurt in a small bowl & beat well using a spoon or fork.
- Take the pan off the heat.
- Add the beaten yogurt/curd to the ash gourd coconut mixture, stirring constantly.
- Don’t add the yogurt while the mixture is hot, yogurt will curdle.
- Keep the pan covered.
- Place a frying pan over medium heat, add coconut oil.
- Let oil turn hot, add mustard seeds, let them splutter.
- Add whole red chilies and curry leaves, fry for a few seconds and remove the pan from the heat.
- Immediately, add the above seasoning to the ash gourd pulissery.
- Close the saucepan with the lid & keep covered for a few minutes, the aroma from the seasoning will infuse into the pulissery.
- Enjoy as a side dish along with rice. Tastes absolutely delish & comforting.
