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

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.

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

-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.

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).

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.

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.