Ash gourd | White Pumpkin | Winter Melon
Like avarakkai/broad beans, white pumpkin, or the ash gourd or the winter melon (I know, a lot of names) is also a popular vegetable in India. This winter melon finds its place in sambar, curries, kootu, fryums, and even in sweets. In Telugu, it is boodidi gummidikaya and in Tamil it is vellai poosanikai and in Malayalam it is Kumbalam and Kannada boodu kumbala kai. Ok, enough of names. Let’s stick to white pumpkin or vellai poosanikai. :-)
White Pumpkin Kootu:
I have already shared a white pumpkin kootu with chana dal on my blog. That’s the traditional kootu recipe with freshly ground coconut. This one is without any masala and with very minimal ingredients. Be it on stove-top or in Instant Pot; you can make this dish quite quickly. PS – You can also try my olan recipe with white pumpkin.
Vegan Take on White Pumpkin Milk Kootu:
Paal is the Tamil word for milk, and white pumpkin milk kootu is typical fare in our household. Instead of regular milk, I went with coconut milk, making vegan, luxurious, and also creamy. You can very use milk and make this kootu if you are not particular about vegan. I am sure you will love this kootu recipe, because ✔ It is mild and easy to make. We are using only two green chilies, and coconut milk balances it well. ✔ Rich and creamy. ✔ Vegan and gluten-free
How to make White Pumpkin Coconut Milk Stew in Instant Pot:
The recipe is straightforward. First, you prepare the tempering, then cook the vegetable and then add the coconut milk mixed rice flour and simmer until it thickens. That’s it. Now let me share the detailed recipe with step-wise pictures. Please don’t miss the notes section for substitutes and other tips.
Set the Instant Pot on saute mode, and when the display shows “HOT,” add the coconut oil. After 30 seconds, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, slit green chilies and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds sputter.
Then add the ½ cup of water.
Next, add the ashgourd and salt.
Mix thoroughly.
Now press the cancel button and close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Pressure cook for 2 minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, wait for 5 minutes and release the pressure quickly.
I prefer this timing as we like the pumpkin soft and firm like this.
After the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid. Set the Instant Pot back to saute mode and mix the vegetable. In a bowl, mix the coconut milk and rice flour. Make sure there aren’t any lumps.
Add this coconut milk, rice flour mixture to the white pumpkin.
Mix and let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
The stew will thicken slowly. After five to seven minutes, turn off the Instant Pot and serve this warm with rice.
Recipe Notes & Substitutes:
Other Vegetable Substitutes: Instead of white pumpkin, you can use yellow cucumber, bottle gourd, butternut squash, or red pumpkin. For a soft yet firm vegetable, you can follow the same Instant Pot cooking time, or if you prefer a very soft veggie texture, you can increase timing by one or two. But I would recommend starting with two minutes and depending upon the doneness, increase the cooking time. Cooking Time: I prefer soft, yet firm vegetables for my kootu. So my cooking time is less. But if you prefer the soft texture, either release the pressure naturally or cook for three minutes and release the pressure after 5 minutes. Instead of rice flour, you can use corn starch to thicken the stew. Traditional recipes call for rice flour, but you can opt corn starch as well. If you prefer thin stew, either add ½ more cup additional water or reduce the flour measure by ½ tsp. Lite coconut milk or full-fat coconut milk? When I first tried this recipe, I went with lite coconut milk. It was not creamy like this one, and you can see my first version on my Instagram feed as well. As I wanted it creamier, I went with full fat this time. But you can choose either one. I went with store-bought coconut milk. As always, adjust the spices according to your preference. Pressure Cooker Version: If you are making this in the pressure cooker, then cook the white pumpkin for only two whistles. Right after tempering, add ½ cup of water and the vegetables. Pressure cook for two whistles and release the pressure naturally. Then add the coconut milk mixture and simmer. Curry leaves enhance the flavor of the recipe. But if you can source it, ignore or add some cilantro. But the taste will be different for sure. For this coconut milk stew, I either add curry leaves or cilantro.
Other South Indian Kootu Recipes:
If you like this white pumpkin kootu, don’t forget to check my,
Spinach Kootu Brussels Sprouts Kootu Chayote Squash Kootu Bottle gourd kootu
Coconut Milk Recipes:
And if you like coconut milk like me, then try out these Indian recipes with coconut milk.
Coconut Milk Kheer Sodhi | Vegan stew with potatoes and moringa pods Coconut Milk Rice
PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this white pumpkin coconut milk stew recipe, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap. I am sending this post to Blogging Marathon 105 under the theme “Easy Sides for Rice and Roti.” Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#105
📖 Recipe
