South Indian
Total Time
20 min
4
– Tender yellow pumpkin / butternut squash chopped finely See the ingredients notes above – Milk might need more – Water – Sugar – Desiccated coconut optional – Rice flour – Water – Coconut oil can use ghee instead – Mustard seeds – Ullutham Paruppu / Urad dal – Red chilies – Curry leaves – Asafetida – Salt
– Peel the parangikai / butternut squash/pumpkin and cut it in half. Scoop the fiber and seeds from the inside. Now chop the pumpkin into small pieces. – Place the chopped pumpkin in a pan and add water (or just enough to submerge the vegetable).
– Bring it to a boil and let the pumpkin cook. Add salt when the pumpkin is cooked halfway through. – Now reduce the heat and add the milk to the pumpkin. Let it finish cooking in the milk. Make sure that the pumpkin does not overcook or become mushy. It should still hold its shape.
– Add the rice flour slurry to the pumpkin and let it come to a boil. Adjust the consistency of the kootu adding more milk if needed. – Now add the desiccated coconut and the sugar to the paal kootu. Mix well and let it simmer.
– Meanwhile, heat a small pan with coconut oil. Add the seasoning ingredients - mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, red chili, and asafoetida. – Add this seasoning to the kootu and turn off the heat. Serve the kootu warm.