- you'll need:
1 medium carrot, washed, peeled and small diced
a big handful of beans, washed, strings removed and fine chopped
1/2 cup fresh green chana or green chickpeas
1/4 cup toor dal/pigeon peas
1/4 tsp turmeric
half a small lime sized tamarind (seeds removed)
salt
To roast & grind:
2 tbsp coriander seeds / dhania
2 tbsp split bengal gram chana dal
2 tbsp split black gram / urad dal
8 whole dried red chillies ( byadagi chillies)
1 tsp black peppercorns
5-6 curry leaves, washed and towel dried
1/2 piece of cinnamon bark / chakke
a big pinch of hing/asafoetida
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
a few drops of ghee for roasting pepper
1/4 tsp oil for roasting
water for grinding
for tempering:
2-3 tsp peanut oil
2 tbsp peanuts
1 tsp bengal gram / urad dal
How it's done:
Wash Toor dal well until water runs clear. Wash and soak tamarind in warm water for 10-15 mins.
Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric for 3-4 whistles or until well cooked. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized heavy bottomed pot, cook covered chopped beans, diced carrots and green chana in just enough water, until soft but not mushy. Season with salt and keep aside. When the cooker has cooled, whisk turmeric into the cooked dal, stir to mash well and pour into the pot with cooked veggies.
Alternatively, to cook lentils in open pot method, bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add the washed toor dal or pigeon peas and cook semi covered, and simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Add more warm water if needed to keep them from drying out.
Dry roast While the veggies and dal cook, place a kadai or medium skillet over medium heat for dry roasting the spices. When the skillet is hot enough, drip few drops of ghee, pop in the black pepper and roast until they just begin to splutter. Remove onto a plate. Add bengal gram, red chillies, curry leaves, cinnamon bark, coriander seeds and lastly black gram and roast on low to medium heat until bengal gram and black gram turn golden brown and curry leaves are crisp. Switch off, add hing and grated coconut and saute until coconut smells toasty or hissing sound subsides.
Squish soaked tamarind to pulp. In a blender, grind the dry roasted ingredients along with tamarind pulp and some water to a smooth paste.
15 mins. Simmer for 5-10 mins before switching off.
For the tempering Heat oil in a small kadai or saucepan over high heat. When the oil is hot enough or shimmering, add peanuts and reduce heat to medium. When they begin to splutter, toss in bengal gram and saute until bengal grams turn golden brown. Tip the tempering on the simmering Kootu, cover immediately and keep aside.
Serve hot with a spoon of ghee drizzled over hot rice or grain of your choice and a side of papad.
Notes:
For roasting, rule of thumb is - dhania, chana dal and urad dal are in equal proportions.
Because of the coconut, it does not keep well for long at room temperature. Store leftovers immediately in the refrigerator.
This recipe works well with other vegetables like Ash gourd, green peas, kohlrabi and chayote (chow-chow / bangalore brinjal).
Make sure to use a heavy bottomed pot for simmering, or the Kootu being thick in consistency sticks to the bottom of the pot and burns easily.
Adjust the quantity of red chillies and peppercorns to suit your spice level.
Frozen grated coconut must be thawed before using.
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