Ash Gourd-Tomato Dal is a hearty and delicious lentil soup and is sure
to warm you up on a cold, wintry day. Ash gourd is bland, so the onions
and tomatoes add a sweet and tangy taste. As ash-gourd is a watery
vegetable, add less water when cooking the veggies and dal if you want
a thick dal. For a watery dal. add more water. Either way, this dal
tastes great and is full of protein. If you don't eat onions, leave
them out.
To save time, you can cook the dal and veggies together in the pressure
cooker.
Servings: 4-6 Cooking Time: 15-20
minutes
Ingredients
3/4 cups toor dal (split red lentil)
1 1/4 cups ash-gourd (white pumpkin), cut into small
pieces
1 cup tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup onions, cut into 1/2-inch strips
4-5 green chillies, slit lengthwise (adjust to taste
Cook the toor dal in the pressure
cooker with 1 1/4
cups water and a pinch of turmeric powder for 3-4 whistles.
Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and
ash-gourd and saute for 1 minute. Add 1 cup water, salt, and turmeric
powder and cook on hig heat until the water comes to a boil. Reduce the
heat, and add the tomatoes and green chillies. Cover and cook for
2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.
Mash the cooked toor dal a bit and add to the veggies
along with salt as needed.
Heat oil in a small pan for the seasoning. Add the
asafoetida powder and mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop, add
the coconut and fry for a few seconds, an pour over the dal. Stir and
place the ash gourd-tomato dal on the heat and simmer until it comes to
a boil. Remove from heat.
Add the lime juice to the ash gourd-tomato dal and
garnish with cilantro just before serving.
