Snake gourd and moong dal

Whenever, my mother made a stew, such as Spinach and yogurt stew,  or sweet and sour Pumpkin stew, or tangy Red Sorrel leaves stew or Amaranth leaves stew, my mother always cooked a dal based curry such as pumpkin and channa dal curry, bottle gourd and toor dal curry  or some such similar recipe.

Ingredients:

1 snake gourd
1/2 cup moong dal
1 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp channa dal
1-2 red chilies
salt to taste
a touch turmeric
a touch of asafoetida
1 jalapeno chopped
a few curry leaves
some chopped cilantro

Bring about 1 to 1 11/2 cups of water to boil. Add moong dal and chopped snake gourd. Reduce flame to medium low and cook for 15-20 minutes until cooked and all the water evaporates.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add turmeric, asafoetida, red chilies, urad dal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chana dal and fry till lightly golden. Add chopped jalapeno and curry leaves and continue frying for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to the cooked snake gourd  and moong dal bowl. Mix well. Season with salt. Garnish with some chopped cilantro and serve warm with some rice and tangy stew.

We typically ate with some sweet and sour mixed vegetable stew or tangy amaranth (or red sorrel) stew or spinach and yogurt stew.