Karnataka Madhwa style toor dal and tender ash gourd stew enriched with freshly ground coconut, sambar powder, tamarind, and jaggery.
Lunch · 15 min prep · 30 min cook · serves 4 Newly added
Ingredients
- 1 cup toor dal
- 1.5 cups ash gourd , white pumpkin, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp tamarind , dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp jaggery , grated
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp sambar powder
- 2 tbsp coconut (fresh grated)
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 4 cups water
Preparation
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Pressure cook toor dal and diced ash gourd with 3 cups water and turmeric for 3 whistles until tender.
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Grind fresh grated coconut with 2 tbsp water into a smooth paste.
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Transfer cooked dal and ash gourd to a saucepan; add tamarind water, jaggery, salt, and sambar powder.
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Simmer over medium flame for 5 minutes to cook out raw tamarind edge.
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Stir ground coconut paste into dal; simmer gently for another 3 minutes.
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Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat; add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and hing until popping.
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Pour hot ghee tempering into stew, stir gently, and keep covered for 5 minutes before serving.
In the tradition
While standard tovve is a plain boiled dal preparation, Huli Tovve blends sour tamarind (huli) and jaggery into the lentil base along with mild ash gourd (boodu kumbalakai), creating a versatile everyday dish across Mysore and Udupi Madhwa households.
Sources & further reading
- Karnataka Madhwa Culinary Tradition , Udupi-Mysore Matha Archive
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.