Poricha Kootu

To serve 5 Members

Vegetables that can be prepared this way:

1. Chow Chow  (Bangalore Kathirikkai)
2. Kose (Cabbage)
3. Carrot
4. Pudalangai
5. Beans
6. Avarakkai
7. Keerai (Greens)
8. Nucol
9. Above vegetables can be mixed with carrot also for the koottu.
10. Parangikkai (Yellow Pumpkin)
11. Cucumber

Ingredients:

1. Vegetable: 700 gms
2. Moong Dal: ¼ Azhakku (or say 60 gms)
3. Toor Dal: 25 gms
4. Coconut (Grated) : 1 small cup
5. Coconut oil: 1 to 2 tsps
6. Mustard: 1 tsp
7. Orid dal: 1 tsp
8. Red Chillies: 4 to 5
9. Jeera: 2 tsps
10. Asafoedita
11. Curry Leaves: Few
12. Turmeric Powder: A Pinch
13. Salt
14. Water

Preparation Procedure:

1. In a kadai, add water and boil it. Add moong dal and turmeric powder and let the moong dal to cook fully. (Alternatively, you can choose to cook moong dal in a pressure cooker and then transfer the same to the kadai after cooking)
2. Add the cut vegetables, few curry leaves and salt to the kadai along with water such that the vegetables are immersed in water to half the level.
3. Cook the toor dal separately in a pressure cooker (you can cook it along with rice in a separate container)
4. Grind the Red Chillies, Jeera and coconut and very few curry leaves in a mixer by adding little water and grind it as a paste.
5. When the vegetables are almost cooked (more than 3/4^th), add this paste and allow this on the stove for 5 mins
6. Mash the cooked toor dal very nicely and add this to the kadai.
7. Season mustard and orid dal using coconut oil and asafoedita. Add few more curry leaves now.

Note

1. You can add water in the mid of your cooking in case you feel the koottu is very thick. Depends on taste. Also, if you feel it is very watery at the end, before you switch off the kadai, add 2 tbsps of Rice flour (arisi maavu) and make it as a paste with water and add this to the kadai.
2. This can also be used as a side dish for Roti items.. J

Koottu Types

Kootu is a South Indian Gravy prepared out of Vegetable, Dal and less spices and almost nil oil and hence considered to be very healthy.. Tastes well when served with rice as a side dish / some of them prefer to eat this as a mixed rice by having curry as a side dish.

Here are some types of Koottu:

1. Poricha Koottu
2. More Koottu
3. Puli Koottu (Popularly referred to as ‘Thiruvadhirai Koottu’ by the Iyers)
4. Masiyal
5. Rasavaangi

Vegetables that can be prepared under these types of kootu is as below:

1. Poricha Kootu:

1. Chow Chow Kootu (Bangalore Kathirikkai Kootu)
2. Pudalangai Kootu (Snake gourd kootu)
3. Beans Kootu
4. Avaraikkai Kootu (Broad Beans Kootu)
5. Muttakose kootu / kose kootu (Cabbage kootu)
6. Nucol kootu
7. Keerai Kootu
8. Peerkangai Kootu
9. Carrot Kootu
10. Parangikkai Kootu (Yellow Pumpkin)
11. Pooshanikkai Kootu (White Pumpkin)
12. Cucumber Kootu (Velrikai Kootu / Vellarikkai Kootu)

2. More Kootu:

1. Chow Chow More Kootu
2. Vazhathandu More Kootu (Banana stem kootu)
3. Pumpkin Kootu (Pooshanikkai More Kootu)