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Mixed vegetable kootu

Mixed Vegetable Kootu

Try this simple homestyle dish combining seasonal vegetables, lentils and a freshly ground coconut paste. Goes best with rice.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course main
Cuisine south indian
Servings 3 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 carrot (red carrot)
  • 1 carrot (orange /Ooty carrots)
  • 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
  • 1/4 cup green beans finely sliced
  • 1/2 cup flat beans broken into pieces
  • 1/4 cup green peas fresh
  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 cup tur dal (dry)
  • 3 tbsp coconut (grated, unsweetened)
  • 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 green chili

For tempering

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (or use ghee)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 tsp udad dal
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 pinch asafoetida

Instructions
 

  • Peel and dice the carrots and sweet potatoes ~1 cm dice. In a medium sized saucepan, take 1/2 cup water. Add all the prepared vegetables, 1/2 tsp salt, pinch of turmeric and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and allow to simmer on a low flame for around 8-10 minutes until carrots are tender.
  • Meanwhile, pressure cook the dal with 1.5 cups of water. Whisk until smooth and keep aside.
  • In a small mixer jar, grind the coconut, cumin and green chili to a fine paste with the aid of 1/4 cup water and keep aside.
  • Add the cooked dal and ground spice paste to the cooked vegetables. Add 1/2 tsp or as much as necessary and bring to a simmer. Adjust consistency depending on how you will serve the kootu, keeping it thinner if it will be mixed with rice and slightly thicker to serve as a vegetable side dish.
  • Heat oil/ghee in a small tadka ladle. Add udad dal and once it turns golden brown, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies. As the mustard seeds splutter, add the asafoetida and turn off the flame. Transfer this tempering over the kootu.

Notes

In the absence of seasonal winter vegetables, finely chopped cabbage, frozen peas, orange carrots, any kind of gourds can be used in a combination.
Serve with rice, papad and a lemon pickle, or serve a thicker version of the kootu with rasam and rice.