Kootu is a traditional south Indian dish made of any vegetable and legume (mostly pigeon peas or gram dal).Kootu is one of my comfort food and also it is a dish I cook when I am in short of time or very lazy(read always :) ) to cook a lavish spread.Though it is a very humble dish with minimum ingredients and less cooking time,it is no less in taste or health factor,in fact it is a very kid/toddler friendly food.Just mix some rice and ghee with this kootu/serve this kootu with roti and there you have a full nutritious lunch for your kid.There are many varieties of kootu,from very simple to some recipes that calls for grinding some spices along with coconut.But as most of you know I always take the easy way whenever I can and this time too it was no different :),I chose a very easy no grind recipe for this green tomato kootu.This can be cooked in flat 15 minutes and you will be left a very tasty soothing flavorful dish for your lunch/dinner.I just love green tomatoes(thakkali kai).I love to cook as many dishes as possible with this,one of my favorite is pickle with green tomatoes,which I will be blogging soon.Here we go with the recipe for green tomato kootu.
Green tomato kootu recipe
Star ingredients:Pasi paruppu(green gram) and green tomatoes
Time:15 minutes
Serves:4
Ingredients:
6 medium green tomatoes chopped fine
1 carrot peeled and chopped fine(optional)
3/4 cup green gram
Salt
To temper
3 dried red chillies
10-12 curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Oil
Method:
1.Wash the vegetables and moong dal thoroughly.Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles with 3 cups of water.The dal should turn mushy and smooth.
2.Once the pressure is released,add salt and boil in medium flame for 3-4 minutes.
3.Heat a small kadai with little oil temper with mustard,cumin,asafoetida,chillies and curry leaves.
4.Add the tempering along with oil to the boiling stew.Let it boil for 3-4 more minutes,switch off the flame.Serve hot.
Notes:1.You can use pigeon peas/(thuvaram paruppu) or a combination of both pasiparuppu and thuvaram paruppu in this recipe.
2.If the dal stands separate
after pressure cooking just use a masher to mash it well before boiling.
3.I have just added carrot as an addition you can choose to leave it out.
4.You can add green chilli and gram dal in tempering if preferred.
