Kuvala Huli- Ash gourd curry

Handling leftovers is one of the toughest parts in managing a kitchen.At my place in Ernakulam,amma never repeats leftovers.My appa(dad) dislikes anything which is kept in the fridge forever and then reheated for eating.There are exceptions of course.But generally he does not like something which is more than a day old.So amma has always tried to make food in less quantities.There is absolutely no wastage in her kitchen,that's something which I am trying to learn from her ever since I started cooking.

On the other hand,my ma-in-law is an expert in handling leftovers.She completely transforms a leftover dish into a new one that nobody can guess that its not freshly cooked.I marvel at her prowess in cooking up new dishes and transforming them into newer ones if left over!!!Dalithoi is one such dish which can be transformed,it acts like a base for new curries.Leftover dalithoi..??Call up ma-in-law(during my initial days of cooking) and she'll come up with so many dishes that you wonder if you should actually wait for excess food to cook up all those delicacies!!

Kuvala huli is one such dish I prepare to camouflage previous days' dalithoi.In fact hubby has got an idea of this and whenever I prepare dalithoi,he asks me in what form is the dalithoi going to re incarnate itself into!!I get immense satisfaction when the dal gets a makeover and the huli gets gobbled up,thank God I can save huli from re incarnating!!!

Kuvala Huli - Ash gourd curry

Ingredients

Ash gourd - 200 gms,cut into medium sized cubes
Drumsticks - 2,cut into 2' pieces.
Dalithoi - 1 to 1 1/2 cups,you can also use fresh dal for this.Cook 1 cup toor dal in a pressure cooker till mushy.

For the masala

Coriander - 2 tbsp
Methi - 1/2 tsp
Roasted red chillies - 4-5
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Tamarind - 1 small channa size
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Hing - 1 tsp

Roast all the above ingredients in a kadai till light brown and grind into a smooth paste adding enough water.

Method

Cook the drumsticks and ash gourd till soft and well cooked.
In a thick bottom pan,add the dalithoi(or freshly cooked dal) and the cooked veggies.
Add salt to taste and let it boil.
Add the roasted and ground masala at this stage,mix well.
Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
Pour 1 tbsp coconut oil on top and close the lid.
Mix well before serving.
Goes well with rice and dosas.