Kootu

Hello All!!! I'm back. Gosh!!! It sure feels good to be back after all these days. I had never realized that I would miss my virtual world/ kitchen as much as I missed my real one ;). I can't believe that only four days back I was in Bangalore struggling with the  packing and now I'm on the other end of the Indian ocean. 

As I am still in the process of settling down, I am not able to cook any elaborate meals. For the past three days, it has only been rasam and sambar. Today however, I decided to make kootu. I used to make kootu earlier but a little differently. This recipe for kootu was given to me by my ajji (grandma) during my visit. I must say that this is by far the best recipe for kootu. This gravy is so full of flavour that it sure to warm your mind, body and soul.

Kootu recipe:

Preparation time: 20mins

Cooking time:15 mins

Serves- 4

Ingredients:

2 cups of vegetables like carrot, beans, peas, potato, ridge gourd, cubed

Toor dal- 1 cup, pressure cooked along with a tsp of oil and a pinch of turmeric

Ground nuts- a handful

Poppy seeds- 1tbsp, toasted till fragrant and brown.

Urad dal- 1tbsp

Channa dal- 1/2tbsp

Coriander seeds- 1/2tbsp

Pepper corn- 6-8

Cinnamon- 1” piece

Kashmiri Red chillies- 2

Oil- ½ tsp

Fresh grated Coconut- 3 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Jaggerry- 1/2tsp

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds- 1tsp

Ghee/ oil- 2tsp

Hing- a big pinch

Curry leaves- 1sprig

Method:

•     Par boil the vegetables along with the groundnuts and keep aside.
•     Heat ½ tsp of oil in a pan and add the pepper corn and cinnamon and fry for a min.
•     Add the urad dal and channa dal and fry till brown
•     Add the coriander seeds and sauté for a min more.
•     Add the red chillies and fry till they are crisp.
•     Take off the heat, cool and grind the mixture, along with the roasted poppy seeds  to a fine powder.        
•     Add the shredded coconut and water and grind to a smooth paste and keep aside.
•     In a thick bottomed vessel, mix the boiled vegetables along with the cooked dal.
•     Add the ground paste and some water and bring the mixture to a boil on a low flame.
•     Add salt and jaggery and boil for some more time. Take off the heat and keep aside.
•     For the seasoning, heat 2tsp of ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
•     Once they pop, add the hing and curry leaves.
•     Saute till the curry leaves are crisp.
•     Remove from fire and add the seasoning to the kootu.
• Serve hot with rice and papad