Ash gourd sambar(Puli koddel or boLu sambaru)

I have heard a lot about koddel before, but I had never cooked it. It is more popular in South Kanara and it is not made at our place. I found this recipe in Udupi special article in a Kannada weekly. Puli – sour and koddel – gravy, is a sour gravy.

I had seen ash gourd many times in Indian store. But never bought it. So when I saw this recipe, I tried it with ash gourd – kuvaLe(Konkani) or budi kumbaLa kayi(Kannada), (I hope these names are correct). This turned out to be very tasty. Too good to be true. It is sweetish by jaggery, sour from tamarind and has a very strong aroma of coconut oil.

This is no-coconut version. Click here for the version with coconut.

Ingredients:
2 cups big pieces of ash gourd
1 cup toor daal
2 tea spn sarina pudi
1 tbl spn coconut oil
1/2 tea spn mustard seeds
1/2 tea spn urad daal
1 red chili
4-5 curry leaves
1/2 tea spn tamarind extract or 5-6 pieces of tamarind
1 tbl spn jaggery
2-3 green chilies
2-3 strands of coriander leaves
A pinch turmeric
A pinch asafoetida
Salt

I didn’t use coriander leaves and curry leaves since I did not have  them.

Method:
Cook toor daal with turmeric.
Take thick juice of tamarind (if using whole tamarind). Cook the ash gourd pieces in 2-3 cups in water with jaggery, green chilies, tamarind and salt. When the pieces are cooked, add sarina pudi, daal, coconut oil and cook. Add coriander leaves and cook again.
Heat a little oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add urad daal, asafoetida. Add curry leaves, broken red chilies. Add this seasoning to the daal and mix well.

Serves : 3-4
Preparation time : 20mins

31 thoughts on “Ash gourd sambar(Puli koddel or boLu sambaru)”

  1. I love puLikoddel. I always made this with the coconut. This recipe looks good, no frying and no grinding, makes it easy with sara pitti.
    The picture has perfectly captured the freshness of the kuvaLe.
    My RSS reader showed me a different recipe post. That came out to be a error 404 page not found!

  2. Manjula, I had posted both the sarin pudi and udupi saru in one post long ago and I wanted them separate. So when I divided the post, one of them came on the front page with todays date. So I changed the date to push it back :D. I think RSS feeds caught that and since I changed the timestamp, it is showing as page not found :(. Donno how to solve it.

    About photo, I wanted to capture both sides of KuvaLe. Didn’t know how to take the picture. Finally took one.

  3. Hi Shilpa,

    Was desperately trying to find a good recipe for pumpkin for past couple of weeks. I chanced upon this portal today and your recipe looks yummy…will try it for dinner today. Pumpkin is one of my fav veg, only don’t know how to cook them.

    Thankyou lots,
    Neema

  4. Hey Shilpa!
    I actually think I know the kuvale as “winter melon” or “ash gourd”… I love it in soups, the texture is so wonderful how it melts in the mouth. I would like to try this recipe after I find one; I see them cut into pieces for sale sometimes.

  5. Hi Shilpa, I really love this recipe — almost like one-dish sambhar. The podi recipe looks great too. I am going to stock up on fresh veggies soon and will look for white pumpkin to try this one — thanks for sharing it 🙂

  6. I love Puli Koddel.My mom has a coconut masala recipe which I love.I always thought Puli Koddel is from Kerala for some reason!!:D
    I will post mine too later.Great recipe,thanks Shilpa:))

  7. Hi Shilpa,

    I really appreciate your efforts and thanks for the wonderful recipes.

    I love cooking and am from Bangalore so I always look for Karnataka recipes.

    Please let me know the kannada weekly website.

    Thanks,
    Divya

  8. Shilpa, i wanted to try this sambar for quite sometime,but never had the confident to do so..but now after your recipe im surly gonna try this very soon..thanks for sharing..

  9. Based on my experience, Koddel usually refers to any dish with Losne Phanna like Kulatha(w/ Kadgi)Koddel, but exception is this Puli Koddel (w/o Losne) which you have prepared above. I am surprised to know that it is more popular in SK (and now in Mumbai and US). I grew up with the taste as my mother used to make all the time and served also during Vhardike Jevan. So I have known only four dishes made from Kuvale; namely, Kolambo(Sambhar), Kuvale Puli Koddel, Kuvale Saasam and Kuvale Khadio(sweet dish like NI petha).Kuvale is widely available in Chinese/Thai/Korean markets more (and fresh also) in US than in any Indian grocery stores (as Gujarati/Punjabi shop keepers do not know about it).
    My wife and me always prefer Kuvale to make Kolambo than GarDuddhi, etc. Yestrday I made your Aayi’s recipe on Kolambo and it was great, but next time, Shilpa, try with Kuvale in that Kolambo as you substitute vegetable. As you said, we both also can eat Kolambo and Daalitoy for days (nickNamed KulDevoo).

  10. Yes, dear. It is “Kuvale”, which is sold as “Winter Melon” in Chineses stores in North America.

    Koddels are my favorite and love them more than the “Ghasshis”. My mom made it a lilttle differently – she used “Maggen” more often than kuvale. she would just grind coconut, red chillies and tamarind and add this ground paste to boiled vegetables (No dal was used) . Boil the whole thing then temper it with garlic and curry leaves !!

    Haven’t eaten this in a long long time !!

    I normally make “Kuvale Dhanvi Randayi” (White curry). Never tried it with Kuvale.

    Your curry looke very yummy. Shall definitely try it.

  11. You should dip kerala(flat) papads in this koddel curry and have it along with dal/rice. AWESOME!!

  12. Hi Shilpa,

    First time commenting here though have been lurking for quite a while at your site. Very authetic recipes. We have friends from Udipi who also cook many of the dishes you have here.The sambar looks good. It is very different from the usual Tamilian version I know.
    Thanks,
    Nalini

  13. Delicious recipe, Shilpa. i love the blending of different flavors. i am gonna’ make this Puli Koddel and also am waiting for your recipe with coconut.

  14. Thanks to you all for letting me know the name of this vegetable. Inji, thanks, I didn’t know the name. I wrote that name because I saw it somewhere and also Budugumbala(Kannada) is a literal translation of white pumpkin.

  15. Hi Shilpa, I just wanted to pass by and tell you I am making this right as I type. I think that ash gourd has an affinity for coconut — the taste is amazing and it’s not even done simmering yet.

    Thanks again for the lovely recipe!

  16. Can i make this using gardudde ..please let me know.i have some friends over for lunch and wanted to make it.we dont find white pumpkin here.Only gardudde is available.

  17. Iran across this recipe and realized this is not the true Puli Koddela recipe as prepared by Mangalore Konkanis. I am sure this tastes excellent but, Konkanis do not use toor dal in Puli koddela – but, we do use roasted coconut and lots of roasted spices like corainder, sesame seeds, methi, channa and urad dal, etc. and a tsp. of rice as thickener….sorry! felt quite disappointed by the recipe…this sounds like Udupi style Kannadiga’s sambhar!

  18. Thanks Shilpa for posting this recipe. My Bapamma used to make lovely pulikoddel, the taste of which my taste buds can never forget. I will try this recipe.

  19. if we donot get sarina pudi, what other masala powder we should add?i am in mumbai.i want to know what masala i can roast,grind and put,i love this dish like anything.Please tell me.

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