Kootu

A highly nutritious side-dish made with different kinds of vegetables. Easy to cook in pressure cooker. You can use cabbage, yellow pumpkin or chow-chow. The recipe is the same for all 3 vegetables.

KOOTU - (Time Required: 15 minutes) - Serves 4 people

Cabbage - 250 gms (OR) Yellow Pumpkin - 250 gms (OR) Chow-chow - 250 gms
Channa Dal (Kadalai paruppu) - 1 cup (Increase quantity of dal if you want more kootu)
Coconut - 4 pieces
Jeera - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Salt to taste
Oil & Mustard for seasoning (if required)
Water as required

Modus Operandi:

Grind the coconut, jeera and red chillies into a very fine paste with little water.
Wash the dal and soak it for about an hour. Add the vegetable of your choice, soaked dal and salt with about 2 cups of water into the pressure cooker and cook for 7 minutes. Switch off stove and let the pressure release on its own.

In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil and splutter the mustard. Add the cooked dal and vegetable mix to the pan, followed by the coconut-jeera paste. Cook for about 3 minutes till the raw smell of coconut disappears.

Goes very well with sambar/rasam/curd rice.