Balaskitchen’s Blog

Cut 1 cup of cabbage to half inch pieces. Cut one big carrot to the same size. If you have fresh peas, take half cup of it. Mix all the three, wash and keep aside. Take your rice vessel and add half cup of moong dal, and quarter cup of channa dal. Wash these dal and drain out the water. Now add the cut vegetables to the dal, add one and half cup of water, and 2 pinches of turmeric powder and cook this in the pressure pan. Allow three whistles to come and switch off the stove now. Do not cook directly in your cooker. Always cook in a separate vessel. After the pressure releases, take out the vessel and keep it aside. Now take one cup of fresh coconut (3/4th is also enough ), 5 to 6 green chillies, and 3 pepper corns, 3 tsps of jeera and grind all this to a very fine paste. Now add the grounded mixture to the cooked vegetables, add enough salt to taste, 2 pinch of perungayam powder, and stir all these evenly, ( if you think the kootu is very thick, you can add water ). Now keep the vessel onto the stove and heat it. Keep the flame in moderate heat. Stir continously. Cook for 5 minutes, adding fresh curry leaves, and switch off the stove now. Now take your pan and add 4 tsps of coconut oil ,heat it and add mustard seeds to splutter, and add 2 tsps of split urid dal to be browned and add this to the kootu and mix well( if you have only whole urid dal, then dont mind adding it ). This goes well with Rasam, Sambar, or even hot plain rice + appalam.