Watermelon rind koottu

I have taken quite a bit of time to "reveal the star ingredient in my previous post where I'd asked you, my readers, to take a guess.
I had chopped up a watermelon and remembered reading about how the rind could be used to make dosa. The rind of the watermelon is the white part between the red flesh and the green skin. I chopped the rind intending to use it for dosa, but as I was chopping, I popped a piece into my mind and felt that it would taste really good in a koottu curry. And that is just what I made.

What you need:
Watermelon rind - 2 cups, chopped
Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup
Red chilli - 3
Cumin seeds - 1 heaped tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - a few

Cook chana dal and the melon rind separately in the pressure cooker until two whistles. The dal should be cooked, but not mushy.
Grind 3/4 cups of grated coconut, red chilli and cumin seeds to a fine paste.
Take the cooked rind in a kadai. Add the ground paste, turmeric powder, salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame and let it boil until the raw smell is gone. Add the cooked dal and mix well. Heat till most of the moisture evaporates. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat a tsp of coconut oil in a kadai. Add a tsp of urad dal and a tsp of mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add the curry leaves and the 1/4 cup of grated coconut. Saute on low heat till the coconut turns reddish brown. Add this to the cooked koottu. Stir well.
Enjoy with rice or roti.

Guess.....

Can you guess the star ingredient in this kootu curry?

It is a rather unusual ingredient.....well, unusual to me, as I have never seen it being used before. If I say anything more, it will make guessing that much easier.
So, until I reveal the answer, keep guessing.
Once I do, I am sure there will be someone who will tell me that they make this exactly the same way but until then.....I'll enjoy my bubble and bask in the glory of having come up with something original.

Sev Usal

This is a wonderfully hearty and lip smackingly good dish - the recipe of which I learned from my SIL in Gujarat. It is very simple to make and at the same time, will keep people coming back for more. A hot bowl of this sev usal is a great way to warm yourself up on a cold, winter night.

What you need:
Soaked peas - 2 cups (I used sprouted peas as I had them on hand. )
Salt - to taste
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Sev, finely chopped onions and corriander - for topping
Grind together:
Cardamom - 5 pods
Clove - 5
Onion - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomato - 2

Add 3 cups of water to the peas and cook in a pressure cooker. Once the steam has settled, open the lid and add the ground masala to the cooked peas. Add salt, garam masala and two cups of water. Let it boil for 20-25 minutes on a low flame until the raw smell goes away. The final product should be quite watery. So use your judgement and add water as required.
While serving:
This is usually eaten with bread/pav. Ladle out a bowl-ful of the hot usal. Top with generous helpings of finely chopped onion, corriander and sev. The usal will thicken up a bit once you add all the toppings. Scoop up the usal with bread/pav or alternately eat spoonfuls of the usal and bread. Either way, you are bound to enjoy your meal.

This is my entry to Spicy Treat's First event - Show me your hits and to Srav's Dish for loved ones.