This is a special item prepared on a particular festival day in TamilNadu. It is served with Thiruvadirai Kali.
Ingredients:
1 cup red gram dal (tuvar dal)
a very small piece each ash gour, pumpkin, snake gourd and vegetable marrow
6-8 each of french beans, cluster beans and broad beans
2 each small brinjal and drumstick
1/2 each (small) potato, sweet potato and raw banana
1/2 cup shelled mochakottai (field beans) or peas
4 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder
a small ball of tamarind
salt to taste
Fry to a dark, brown colour and grind to a paste
3 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp bengalgram dal (chana dal)
5-6 red chillies
4-6 tbsp grated coconut
few pepper corns (optional)
Seasoning
1 tbsp gingely oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 red chillies (broken into 2,3 pieces)
2 green chillies, slit
2 sprigs curry leaves
1-2 tbsp chopped coriander
Method:
1. Boil dal with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, set aside.
2. Take out thick extract of tamarind, set aside.
3. Wash, peel and cut vegetables into small pieces. Boil some water in a large vessel, add curry leaves, salt and turmeric powder. Add vegetables one at a time as different vegetables get tender at different levels of cooking time. Add first the potatoes, sweet potatoes and drumsticks, when half done, add the different gourds one at a time, then the beans and lastly the banana and brinjal.
4. When all the vegetables have become render, add tamarind extract, boil for 3-5 min.
5. Now add cooked dal (mash it a bit), the ground masala (mixed with some water) and simmer all of it for a while, remove from fire.
6. Season in oil the ingredients given in that order except coriander leaves. When green chillies have become soft, add the seasonings to kootu, add chopped coriander and mix all of it.
Note:
a) a handful of ground nuts and white beans (karamani) can also be added. Soak and cook separately before adding to the rest of the vegetables in step 3.
b) This kootu can be prepared without the addition of dal – add a little extra coconut for grinding.
c) Also, instead of grinding the masala to paste, they can be powdered and added to kootu in step 4 along with the mashed dal.
