RIDGE GOURD ( HEEREKAI) HULITHOVVE

HULITHOVVE

 Hulithovve is a famous dish prepared during festivals and wedding. Hulithovve and Majjige huli is a famous combination. Hulithovve is rich compared to regular huli. Quantity of tuvar dhal and dry coconut used will be more and the consistency of the dish will be thick. Commonly used vegetables are sweet pumpkin or ridge gourd. Spices like poppy seeds, clove, Maratimoggu ( Kopak buds)cinnamon and dried coconut give special taste for this dish.

INGREDIENTS

Ridge gourd: 1 kg

Tuvar dhal: 1½ tea cup (250 grams) heaped

Tamarind: size of a medium lemon. Soak in hot water and extract pulp. or tamarind paste I table spoon.

Roast and grind

MASALA TO GRIND

Coriander seeds: 1  ½  table spoon

Bengal gram 1 table spoon

Black gram dhal 1 table spoon

Byadagi chillies: 10 numbers

Cinnamon ½ inch piece

Cloves: 4

Poppy seeds: 1 table spoon

Marathi moggu: 2

Nut meg:  small piece

Mace(Jaipathre) small bit

Dry coconut: 1 cup

For tempering

Oil (of your choice): 2 table spoons

Mustard seeds: ½ tea spoon

Curry leaves: 2 sprigs

Asafoetida: a little pinch

Method

Wash, peel and dice ridge gourd in to small pieces.

HEEREKAI DICED

Take 1 heaped cup full of tuvar dhal in a pressure cooker and wash well. Add 2.5 cups of water, 1 tea spoon full of and ½ teaspoon of turmeric and close the lid and keep it on high flame. Place the cooker weight as soon as steam gushes out. When the cooker whistles, lower the flame immediately and cook for exactly 5 minutes and switch off the stove. Open the lid of the cooker when the pressure has completely released. With this approach, you can be ensured that the dhal will be cooked in an optimal manner. Transfer the cooked dhal to a vessel where you will store the final dish.

COOKED DHAL

place the chopped ridge gourd pieces in the same cooker used for cooking dhal. Add 1 cup of water, a teaspoon full of salt 1tea spoon full of sarinapudi and stir well. Close the cooker lid and keep the cooker on high flame. When steam gushes out from the vent, cover it with a cup or tumbler. Steam cook for 3 minutes and then place the weight on the vent. Subsequently, turn off the heat and allow the cooker to cool. In this method, the cooked vegetables will not become mushy. Ridge gourd cooks very fast. Add cooked dhal and mix well

Heat 2 teaspoon full of oil in a pan and roast coriander seeds, Bengal gram dhal, black gram dhal and Byadagi chillies till dhals become golden in colour and aromatic. Add poppy seeds and fry for a few minutes. Add dry coconut gratings and fry for a minute. Transfer them to a plate and allow to cool. In the same pan roast cinnamon, cloves, Nutmeg, Mace and Marathi moggu with little oil. Mix them all and grind to a coarse powder.

GROUND MASALA

Add some cold water to the ground masala and make a paste without any lumps. Add this paste to the mixture of cooked vegetable and dhal and mix well. Add more water to get the required consistency. Hulithovve should be thick. Add salt to taste and boil for 5 more minutes stirring in between.

Prepare seasoning by heating 2 table spoons full of oil in a pan. Add 1 tea spoon of mustard seed and asafoetida and allow to splutter. Break 2 red chillies in to pieces and fry. Add curry leaves and mix. Add this to hulithovve. Searve with hot rice and ghee.