Parangikai Thengai Kootu

Yellow pumpkin coconut kootu/Parangikai thengai kootu is a tasty kootu seasoned with coconut oil.  This yellow pumpkin is called parangikai in tamil also the white one called as poosanikai.

 Do you know that the word Pumpkin originated from the Greek word Pepon (means large melon) which is changed as Pompon (by French) to Pumpion (by British) and finally changed to Pumpkin (by American colonists)-Source wiki

Coming to our recipe 

Ingredients:

• 500 gms Yellow Pumpkin 
• As per taste Salt

For Grinding:

• 1 cup Grated coconut
• 2 Green chillies
• 1 tsp Jeera

For Seasoning:

• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• A spring Curry leaves
• 2 tsp Coconut oil

Method:

1) Remove the seeds and thread part from parangikai (yellow pumpkin). Also scrap off the outer green colour skin.

2) Chop them as cubes and add water.

3) Let it boil till the parangikai gets cooked (It should not get mashed up). Parangikai takes less cooking time and might get mashed soon.

4) Drain the water from parangikai and keep aside.

5) Grind the ingredients given in "To Grind" to smooth paste. 

6) Add this ground mixture and salt to cooked parangikai.

7) Let it get cooked in low flame untill froth appears.

8) Heat oil in a kadai and crackle mustard seeds then add curry leaves.

9) Pour this mixture on top of kootu.

Tasty Parangikai (Yellow pumpkin) thengai kootu is ready with the flavour of coconut oil.

Tips:

1) You can also grind  curry leaves along the ingredients given to avoid them getting out of the plate while we eat .

2) You can also season with any other cooking oil other than coconut oil. Coconut oil gives nice flavour so I prefer to use it.

3) Some may prefer to grind the ingredients to coarse mixture with out adding water and add to parangikai.