Archive for the ‘KOOTU VARIETIES’ Category
This is a very simple variety of kootu made out of cucumber and chenna dhal.
INGREDIENTS
Cucumber – 2 cups ( chopped into small pieces in the form of cubes)
Chenna Dhal – 2 tbl spoons
Grated coconut – 2 tbl spoons
Cumin(jeera) seeds – 1 tsp
Red chillies – 2 nos (to taste)
Salt – 1/2 tsp ( to taste)
Raw rice – 1/2 tsp
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PROCEDURE
-Pressure cook the chenna dhal and cucumber by adding 1/2 cup of water, salt and one pinch of turmeric powder. Just allow three whistles and lower the flame for 2 minutes.
-Grind the coconut, jeera , raw rice and red chillies into a fine paste, by adding little water.
- Add this paste to the cooked cucumber and allow it to boil for 2 minutes.
-Season it with 1/2 tsp mustard, 1/4 spoon asafoetida and fresh curry leaves.
This a very tasty kootu. Because of its mild nature kids will like it. It also serves as a side dish to chapathi.
( We all know that cucumber is a watery vegetable. When cooked by adding water it becomes all the more watery. Don’t drain the excess water. Instead use it for grinding the coconut paste. Its nutritious value will be preserved. As far as possible never drain the water used for cooking the vegetables. All the nutrients will be lost)
It is a famous kanidika preparation. I tasted this gojju in one of my friends house Mrs. Swarna who hails from Bangalore , but settled at Delhi. The taste was so good. I got the method of preparation from her which I am going to present it to you now. This brinjal – capsicum gojju.
Ingredients
Required Vegetables
Tender Brinjal – 100 gms
Capsicum -100 gms
Tomato – 100 gms
Chop all the vegetables into small square pieces.
To prepare the Gravy
Tamarind – small lemon size
Chutney Dhal (pottukadalai) – 1 teaspoon
Mustard – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut – 1 handful
Red chillies – 2-3 nos ( accoring to taste)
For seasoning
Oil -1 table spoon
Mustard -1 tsp
Methi – 1/2 tsp ( you can season it with whole methi or if you use methi powder then make it to 1/4 spoon )
Red Chillies – 1 nos
Curry leaves – 10-15 nos
Asafoetida(Hing or perumkayam) – 1/2 tsp
Procedure
– Strain the tamarind with 1 1/2 cup of water and add the chopped vegetables, one pinch of turmeric powder , salt and cook them.
-In a dry pan allow the mustard to splutter. Set asside. Add one tsp of oil to the pan fry the chutney dhal ,red chillies and coconut just for 2 minutes. Allow it to cool and grind it along with mustard and turmeric powder into a fine paste.
- Add this paste to the tamarind – veg gravy and just allow it froth. If you prefer add one small bit of jagarrey to enhance the taste.
- Season it with mustars , methi, red chillies, curry leaves and hing.
Mouth watering gojju is ready. It can be served along with raw rice, venpongal, idli , dosa and chapathi.
It is a mixture of vegetables and a variety of legumes like chenna(konda kadalai) , whole mung dhal( pachai payaru) and lobia (karamani).
INGREDIENTS
Chopped Vegetables – 1 cup
Soaked legumes – 1 cup
Small lemon size tamarind
Vegetables used for this preparation are ash gourd (pooshanikai), red pumpkin (parangikari) carrot, bringal, plantain, mochai parrupu. Cut all these vegetables into small square pieces.
Soak the legumes overnight.
TO FRY AND GRIND
Chenna dhal – 1 tsp
Urud dhal – 1 tsp
Pepper – 1/4 tsp
Red Chillies – 6 nos
Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp
Edible oil – 1 tsp
Grated coconut – 2 tbl spoon
FOR SEASONING
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Broken urud dhal -1/2 tps
Fresh curry leaves – 10 – 15 nos
Grated coconut – 1 tsp
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PROCEDURE
-Strain the tamarind with a cup of water. Cook the vegetables in the tamarind water. Pressure cook the legumes by adding salt to it.
-Add 1 tsp of of oil to the pan and fry all the ingredients to be ground except coconut, till they are golden brown. Allow it to cool and grind into a smooth paste along with coconut.
-Add this paste to the tamarind – vegetable mixture and bring it to boil. Let it boil for about 2 minutes. Keep stirring it continuously to avoid burning at the bottom. Season it with mustard, urud dhal, curry leaves. Dry fry the coconut and sprinkle over it.
Very tasty and spicy kadalai kootu is ready. It can be had with plain rice. It is also an excellent side dish for chapathi and dosa.
KEERAI KOOTU - Many of us don’t prefer to eat keerai (greens) when done as ordinary masial or keerai sundal.
Here is a very easy way to make even the greens( keerai) more delicious.
Ingredients
Urud dhal – 1 tsp
Chenna dhal – 1 tsp
Red Chillies – 2 nos (to taste)
Coconut – 1 tbl spoon
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Greens – 2 cups (finely chopped)
Mung dhal – 2 tbl spoon
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1/2 tsp
Oil -1tsp ( for seasoning)
Procedure
-Cook the greens along with mung dhal by adding little amount of salt.
-Apply 1 tsp of oil in kadai and fry urud dhal, chenna dhal, red chillies till golden brown. Allow it to cool and grind it along with fresh grated coconut, jeera and a pinch of asafoetida to make a smooth paste.
-Add the paste to the cooked greens and boil it for 2 minutes. Season it with mustard, broken urud dhal and fresh curry leaves.
Very tasty keerai kootu is ready. This can be served with hot rice. It is a also a perfect side dish for roti.
Preffered greens are arai keerai, mulai keerai, pasalai keerai, palak, thoodhuvalai, murangai keerai, mani thakali keerai, thandu keerai ( both red and green).
Kootu by its name says, combine together. So kootu is a healthy South Indian side dish which is a combination of vegetables, dhal and spices.
Let me begin with simple milagu or pepper kootu
MILAGU (PEPPER) KOOTU
Ingredients
> To fry and grind
Pepper – 1/2 tsp
Chena Dhal - 1 tsp
Urud dhal – 1/2 tsp
Dhaniya – 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies – 4 nos (to taste)
Grated Coconut – 2 tbl spoons
Jeera – 1 pinch
> To cook
Preferred vegetable – 2 cups
Mung dhal – 1/2 cup
Salt – 3/4 tsp (to taste)
The vegetables usually used for milagu kootu are Chow Chow, Snake gourd( pudalangai), cabbage, brinjal, cucumber , double beans(Avaraikai), curry beans.
Procedure
-Pressure cook the desired vegetable along with mung dhal , salt and a pinch of turmeric powder.
-Add a tsp of oil to the pan and fry the ingredients (except coconut & jeera) given for frying till they are golden brown.
-Grind the fried ingredients along with coconut and jeera into a paste by adding little water.
- Add this paste to the cooked dhal-vegetable mix and allow it to boil for 2minutes.
- Switch off the stove and add a pinch of asafoetida . Season it with mustard, broken urud dhal and fresh curry leaves.
You can also add fresh finely chopped coriander. This is optional.
Aviyal is the delicacy of south Indian menu. You can prepare it vegetables like ash gourd (pooshanikai), carrot, beans, potato, sweet potato, plantain, colacasia (Sepan Kizhangu), mochai parrupu, drumstick etc. This this the general list of veggies we use for aviyal.
Ingredients
Uniformly cut vegetables – 1 basin full (say around 400 gms)
Coconut grated – 1 cup full
Cumin’s seeds – 1 tsp spoon
green chillies – 2 to 3 in nos (depending on how hot you require)
Coconut oil – 2 tsp
Procedure
-Cut the vegetable into slightly big pieces, preferably in uniform size.
- Pressure cook them (except drumstick ) by adding less amount of water,salt and turmeric powder.
- Drumstick must be cooked separately. if pressure cooked it will get smashed.
- Grind the coconut , cumin’s seeds and green chillies. Need on be grind ed very smoothly.
- Mix the coconut paste with fresh curd or thick butter milk.
- Mix the cooked vegetables with curd gravy.
- Take 2 tsp of coconut oil and allow it to fume over low heat and pour it in the mixture.
- Heat the mixture in low heat for about 2 minutes. It should not boil . Curd will curdle if boiled.
garnish with fresh curry leaves. Seasoning is not necessary for this.
Aviyal is served in almost all pandhi sapadu. It is very tasty and also nutritious.
