CHOW CHOW KOOTU RECIPE – Choyote Kootu with Moong Dal – Bangalore Kathirikai Kootu

Kootu is a staple in every tamilian home, is a combination cooked lentil with vegetables, made in variety of ways. Depending on the consistency its termed as poricha kuzhambu or kootu, the thicker version is often termed as kootu and served as a side for rice along with puli / kara kuzhambu. Kootu can be made plain using just the lentil or mix of lentil & vegetable….today we are going to make kootu using chow chow, a tender quash like vegetable- its known as choyote  here in US, back home we call it chow chow or bangalore kathrikkai. I did refer kamalascorner  for the recipe and adapted it slightly to suit my taste.

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I usually like to soak dal before cooking. Moong and Masoor dal doesn’t need soaking, as they tend to cook fast. But soaking actually helps – its easy on your stomach, aids good digestion, cuts the cooking time into half and also the texture of cooked dal comes out soft & mushy. I did soak for 20 minutes in room temperature water, then rinsed a few times before the cooking process.

In a pressure cooker pan, take soaked moong dal (pasi paruppu), add chopped onions, chopped chow chow pieces, turmeric powder, red chili powder & salt. Pour about 1 & 1/2 cup water just to immerse the veggie.

Pressure cook upto 2 whitsles or 15 minutes over low medium flame. Once down, let it sit for few minutes or until the pressure settles. Open the cooker lid – the veggie will be cooked fully and the dal will be on the mushy side.

In a mixer jar take fresh grated coconut, cumin seeds and green chili. Add a couple of tablespoons of water just to run the mixer. Pulse a few times to make a coarse paste.

Add the coconut paste to cooked dal and veggie mixture.

In a small tadka / talippu pan heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, split black gram dal, curry leaves and sprinkle some asafoetida powder.  Add this seasoning to the dal and mix gently. Serve as an accompaniment for rice paired with puli kuzhambu,  vegetable curry & appalam.

Notes

Serves 3-4 adults.

You may use moong dal or channa dal for this recipe. If using channa dal / kadala paruppu then soak the dal for 1 hour atleast.

You may substitute red chili powder with samabr powder too. It gives thickness and flavor to the kootu. Some store bought sambar powder includes salt, so adjust accordingly.