Padavalanga Chena Kootu/ Snake gourd Yam Curry

Padavalanga Chena Kootu/ Snake gourd Yam Curry is delicious and healthy combo of vegetables and chickpeas. Kootu curry is an integral part in Kerala Sadhya and is relished along with aviyal and erisseri .Kootu curry has a wonderful aroma of roasted coconut.You can use any combination of vegetables and lentils to make kootu curry. Earlier I posted a combination of plantains and yam. Try this, you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Chena/elephant yam- 2 cups
Padavalanga chopped- 2 cups
Chickpeas- 1/2 cup
Whole Black Pepper- 1 tsp
Dry red chilly- 4
Grated coconut- 3/4 cup
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Cumin- 1/3 tsp
Ghee- 1 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning-
Shredded coconut- 1/3 cup
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Whole Pepper - a few
Dry red chilly -2
Curry leaves- 2 springs

Soak chickpeas for about 4 hours and then pressure cook it and keep aside. Add water to the same level as chick peas in the pressure cooker and cook till three to four whistles.

Cut yam and padavalanga/snake gourd into cubes and cook them along with salt and turmeric and sliced green chilly. Add a little bit of oil to prevent sticking. You will need around a cup of water to cook the vegetables. Add the cooked chick peas and mix.

Heat one tsp of oil in a pan and roast dry red chilly, whole pepper and cumin. Add this with 3/4 cup of grated coconut and make it into a fine paste. Add this to the cooked vegetables along with one tsp of powdered jaggery.Mix well.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When the splutter add dry red chilly, pepper corns and curry leaves and fry for a minute. Add shredded coconut 1/3 cup and roast till brown. Add this to the cooked vegetable and mix. Serve with rice.