Chow Chow Kootu | Chayote Squash Kootu | South Indian Kootu with Bangalore Kathirikkai

Kootu is one of my favourite side dishes. It is a wholesome meal in itself and requires really less effort and time. And luckily my little one also loves it, so I find making them often. Usually I make kootu with any veggies similar to this Pudalangai kootu (Snake Gourd) or this Yellow Pumpkin Kootu (Poosanikai) without coconut. At times I use coconut but do not grind them like in this Vazhaithandu Kootu (Banana stem). For me those recipes are very light on the tummy and the one like this Chow Chow kootu recipe today is a little heavy with coconut and rice flour ground and mixed in. But I like this one too. It also tastes yum and is like the one in restaurants or the ones that they serve in weddings :) 

Recipe Source: Ma

 

I Took: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Chow Chow (Chayote) - 1 medium sized one Channa Dal/Moong Dal - ¼ cup Ginger - An inch piece Garlic - 2-3 cloves Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Salt - As needed

To Grind:

Grated Coconut	-	3-4 tbsp
Red Chilly	-	1 no
Cumin Seeds/Jeerakam	-	½ tsp
Rice Flour	-	1 tsp

To Temper:

Oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Urad Dal	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly	-	3 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Asafoetida	-	2 pinch

The Way:

1. Rinse channa (or moong) dal thoroughly in water. Then soak the dal in water (I took 1.5 cups) for 20-30 minutes. Channa dal pairs well with chow chow but at times I use moong dal too

2. Remove the skin of chow chow (and also the seed in the middle) and dice it and keep aside

3. Add salt & turmeric powder to the soaked dal, diced chow chow, crushed ginger (optional) & crushed garlic (optional) in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles or until it is done 

4. Alternately you can cook them in a pot as well. If using a pot, make sure you add sufficient water and cook the dal & chow chow. Also take care to see that the water doesn't dry up and leave you with a burnt vessel. However chow chow takes longer to cook. So it's better to use a pressure cooker for faster cooking

5. While the chow chow is getting cooked, take the grated coconut, cumin seeds, red chilly & rice flour in a mixer along with 2-3 tbsps of water and grind it to a smooth paste 

6. Once the chow chow is cooked and the the pressure is released, open the cooker. Add the ground paste to it and give a nice stir

7. If water is less, add enough for your desired consistency. Allow the kootu to boil in low flame

8. Now for the tadka/tempering, heat oil in a tadka pan/kadai

9. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the urd dal. As it slightly turns colour add the remaining ingredients (red chilly is optional - add to adjust the heat of the kootu) and give a nice stir

10. Add the tadka to the kootu and mix and serve

Tastes awesome with Plain Rice / Rasam Sadam / Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu / Pavakkai Puli Kuzhambu

Notes:

Instead of boiling the moong dal, you can pressure cook as well. Just about 2 whistles should suffice. 

Cheers,

Chitz

Vazhai Thandu Kootu | Banana Stem Kootu | Easy Vazhathandu Kootu

Banana Stem cooked in Mung dal and tempered with coconut and Indian tadka

A simple kootu can blow away my worries and make me feel light and of course make me chirpy again. Will you believe that? If you are saying no, believe me I'm not lying. I'm sure a comfort food is not a solution to your worries but most of the comfort food reminds us of our mom right? And when you have your mom by your side, comforting you and mostly she expresses that with food right? Then your worry seems to take a backseat and you start working on the solution right? Now you see the connection :) 

For me any kootu is like that.. I usually pair it up with rasam and a pickle.. The combo is bliss and light on the tummy. But nowadays I don't make much of rasam coz my lo is not a fan of it. So I resort to some dal based gravies for him :) But still, a good kootu makes me feel happy and at home. Do you have any food or dish like that? Let me know ! This kootu with banana stem is yet another simple recipe from my mom. Not much work except cleaning and cutting of the vazhathandu. Addition of coconut is purely optional. If you do not want it, skip it. Coconut adds an extra zing to the dish, that's all. So off to the easy recipe. If you want to try some other kootu recipes, here they are..

Peerkangai Kootu | Ridge Gourd Kootu
Yellow Pumpkin Kootu | Poosanikkai Kootu

Recipe Source: Ma

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Vazhathandu/Banana Stem	-	1.5 cups (cleaned and diced)
Moong Dal	-	¼ cup
Coconut	-	¼ cup
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Urad Dal - 2 tsp Red Chilly - 2 nos - broken Asafoetida - ¼ tsp Curry leaves - A sprig

The Way:

1. Clean the banana stem (vazhathandu) and cut them into small cubes. Keep them immersed in water till use, so that it retains it's colour and doesn't turn dark

2. Rinse the moong dal and soak in water for 15-20 minutes

3. Then cook the moong dal along with salt till almost done. You can pressure cook as well. Cooking in a normal pot would take some time compared to the pressure cooker

4. Now once the dal is cooked, add the cubed vazhathandu along with turmeric powder and salt (if required) and cook them covered till done. This would take 15-20 minutes depending on how good the banana stem is. If it's a fresh one, it would get cooked fast. If you do not want to take the risk or are low on time, pressure cook them for 3-4 whistles

5. Now finally add the grated coconut, give a nice stir and leave for about a minute and then switch off the flame

6. Finally for the tadka, heat oil. Splutter mustard and then add the urad dal

7. When it starts to turn golden, add the broken red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves. Add this tadka to the kootu and serve

Cheers,

Chitz

Yellow Pumpkin Kootu | Poosanikai Kootu | Parangikai Kootu - without coconut

Yellow Pumpkin cooked in Mung Dal

Many think that pumpkins, especially the yellow ones, are for Halloween carvings ! It does remind you of the Harry Potter movies & the Hogwarts dining room, na? I know many a friends who do not like it as a veggie. Maybe the sweetness that it imparts is what puts off many to have it as a side dish. But it is said to be a great source of Vitamin A & antioxidant beta carotene. It also seems to decreases the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes & promotes a healthy complexion & hair. Now that last part would make you feel that including pumpkins in your diet does not sound like a bad idea after all, right? It is also a great substitute for oil & butter in your bakes ! Now I have heard that they even make payasam (kheer) with pumpkins. So many ways to have them..

Yellow pumpkin is one of the favorite veggies of my sis, my mom, me & now Dhruv as well :) I am happy that he likes it & I do not have to run behind him to make him eat them. I was scared that he might not like them coz it's not Deeps' favorite. But this kootu recipe has impressed even Deeps as well & he eats at least 2 spoons of it when I make them (Yes, that's an achievement) Somehow, my mom's recipes do have a very positive impact on his veggie eating habits ! :) So people out there, who do not like pumpkins, do try this recipe for sure, coz it's a breeze to make & a keeper for sure and you are going to start liking them hereafter :)

Other pumpkin recipes:

Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Mathanga Erissery

Recipe Source: Ma

 

I Took: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Yellow Pumpkin - 250 gm (A big piece) Moong Dal - ¼ cup Ginger - An inch piece Garlic - 2-3 cloves Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Salt - As needed

To Temper:

Oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Urad Dal	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly	-	4 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Asafoetida	-	2 pinch

The Way:

1. Rinse moong dal thoroughly in water. Then soak the dal in water (I took 1.5 cups) for 20-30 minutes

2. Remove the skin of the pumpkin (and also the middle mushy part with seeds) and dice it and keep aside

3. Add salt & turmeric powder to the soaked dal and boil it till it is 3/4 done. Check in between if water is required and add accordingly

4. Once the dal is 3/4th cooked, add the diced pumpkin pieces

5. Crush the ginger & garlic and also add them along with the pumpkin pieces

6. Now cover and cook till the pumpkin pieces are cooked and becomes soft and mushy. This should take around 8-10 minutes

7. Now for the tadka/tempering, heat oil in a tadka pan/kadai

8. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the urd dal. As it slightly turns colour add the remaining ingredients and give a nice stir

9. Add the tadka to the kootu and mix and serve

Tastes awesome with Plain Rice / Rasam Sadam / Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu / Pavakkai Puli Kuzhambu

Notes:

Instead of boiling the moong dal, you can pressure cook as well. Just about 2 whistles should suffice. As pumpkin gets cooked fast, I would not recommend to pressure cook it.

Cheers,

Chitz

Peerkangai Kootu | Ridge Gourd Kootu | Chinese Okra with Mung Dal

Cooked Ridge Gourd & Mung Dal with Indian tempering

For me kootu is a very healthy comfort food. Pair it up with steamed rice & rasam, I am a happy person :) Coz I do not have to think about cooking a dal & preparing a veg stir fry separately. Everything goes in together this single dish and gives me a tasty & healthy & easy recipe.. Truly comfort, right? Many would like to have kootu as a side dish with vathakuzhambu or kara kuzhambu but somehow I find it best with rasam. Rasam being subtle, I can enjoy the flavors of the kootu to the max ! Here, you can prepare this with channa dal also. But mung dal is a personal favorite & easy to cook and also it doesn't need much soaking time. Peerkangai (Ridge Gourd/Chinese Okra) being a versatile veggie, you can use even the peel/skin to prepare thogayal or chutney & not to forget about the health benefits. So let's see how this easy kootu can be prepared.

Recipe from Ma

Serves: 2 persons

I Took: 30 minutes

I Used:

Peerkanga/Ridge Gourd	-	1 no - medium sized
Mung Dal/Channa Dal	-	¼ cup (I used Mung Dal here)
Grated Coconut	-	2 tbsp
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Temper:

Oil	-	2 tsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Asafoetida	-	½ tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig

The Way:

1. Wash & clean the dal & soak in water for 15-20 minutes. Then pressure cook it till done
2. Clean the ridge gourd & peel the skin. Reserve the skin/peel for chutney/thogayal. Chop the gourd into small cubes. You need not discard the middle soft portion as in other gourds
3. Now add the chopped ridge gourd, red chilly powder, turmeric powder & salt to the cooked mung dal. If the dal is too mushy, add ½ cup water & cook uncovered until done. Do not pressure cook the gourd as it will get overcooked
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it splutters, add red chilly, curry leaves & asafoetida & saute. Take care not to burn
5. Add this tempering to the cooked kootu. Add the grated coconut & give it a mix
6. Remove from flame & serve with steamed rice & a gravy of your choice

Cheers,

Chitz