How to make…Poosanikai pittlai

A sidedish for the festive season

Poosanikai pittlai

Poosanikai pittlai is prepared during festival days. It tastes good with morekuzambu. I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law.

What you need

White pumpkin - 200 gm

Kidney beans, dry (rajma) - 10

Split pigeon pea (Toor dal) - 1cup

Tamarind, lemon-sized ball -1

Black gram (Urad dal) - 1tsp

Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

Red chillies - 3

Coconut, grated – 1tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cooking oil -1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 tsp

Salt -1 tsp

Cooking instructions

Soak rajma overnight and pressure cook it with the toor dal. Cut the pumpkin into lengthy pieces. In a tava add little oil and fry the urad dal, coriander seeds and chillies and grind to a paste along with coconut. Sauté the mustard seeds, asafoetida and add the pumpkin and cook for some time. To it add tamarind juice, the cooked dal, the ground mixture and salt and allow to boil. Serve hot.

Preetha Rengaswamy is a special educator for children with learning disabilities. She loves to cook traditional dishes.