Zucchini Kootu

Zucchini is a squash, I never heard of... My sis in law used to make kootu with it. It tasted so good. I asked her about the veggie, she said its zucchini... I bought it next time when i went for grocery... kootu was awesome..

If u r like me...first time hearing abt zucchini... Introducing zucchini to every one...

A popular summer squash, ranging in color from dark to light green with a bit of mottling. The flesh is white with a light and delicate flavor. Zucchini is cylindrical but irregular, and is often 4 to 8 inches in length, but can be found very small or homegrown at lengths up to 2 feet and 6 inches in diameter. Many explorers who came to the Americas brought back what they considered strange foods. The zucchini eventually found its way to Italy where it was named zucchino. Inhabitants of Central and South America have been eating zucchini for several thousand years, but the zucchini we know today is a variety of summer squash developed in Italy. The word zucchini comes from the Italian zucchino, meaning a small squash. The term squash comes from the Indian skutasquash meaning "green thing eaten green." Christopher Columbus originally brought seeds to the Mediterranean region and Africa. The French term for zucchini is courgette, often used interchangeably for yellow squash as well. Although the term summer squash can mean a variety of different squashes depending on whom you are speaking with, you can pretty much use the different summer squash varieties interchangeably. The English also refer to a variety that is slightly larger and plumper as marrow. plural: zucchinis
Ingredient
Season: April - August
How to select: Smaller zucchini will be younger and more tender. Select skins free of blemishes and with a bright color. ( source)

Nutrition in Zucchini
Zucchini has vitamins and minerals in abundance. Low in calories, and cholesterol free zucchini is high in folates, potassium and vitamin A with lesser amounts of the B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and copper. With all that nutrition, zucchini gifts us further by being low in calories.

How to make this kootu....

Ingredients:

2 Zucchinis

1 cup toor dal

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Paste:

2 tbsp shredded coconut

1 tsp cumin seeds

5 green chillies

Seasoning:

1 tbsp ghee

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

Asofeotida/ hing

curry leaves

Preparation:

In a pressure cooker, add toor dal, zucchini pieces, turmeric powder and 2 cups of water. Cover and cook for 2 whistle. Remove from heat. let it cool.

Meanwhile, make a paste of the ingredients mentioned with little water. Let it be a fine paste.

In a pan, do the seasoning. Add the ground paste. saute for a minute. Add the cooked dal and zucchini. Mix thoroughly. Adjust salt. Let it cook till the raw smell of green chillies vanishes. Remove from heat, garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chappathi/ Rice...