3. Puli vitta kootu

3.       Puli vita kootu
Vegetables like senai, brinjal, keerai thandu and poosanikai can be used for this gravy cum side dish.
Ingredients
Any one of the above vegetable -250gm
Toor dal/Channa dal or Both in 3:1 proprtion - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - small lemon size
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt -1 1/2tsp

     Ground nut (raw) -2tbs  
To roast
Channa dal - 1 1/2 tbs
daniya - 1tbs
Red chili - 4
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida -a pinch
Oil - 1tsp
Seasoning
Oil - 1tsp
Mustard - 1tsp
Redchili-1
Asafoetida - apinch
Curry leaves
Method:

1.       Pressure cook dal adding a pinch of turmeric powder and asafoetida.Cook groundnut also in seperate container along with dal.

2.       Wash and cut the vegetables into small pieces.

3.       Cook the vegetable in 1 1/2 cup of extracted tamarind water, salt and asafoetida.

4.       Roast all the ingredients given under roast till they turn brown and a nice aroma comes out.

5.       Grind coconut and the roasted items into caorse paste.

6.       Mix the paste with cooked peanut,  cooked and smashed dal and cooked vegetable. Boil it for 2 seconds.

7.       If the consistency is very thin add rice flour paste and mix thoroughly and allow it to just boil.

8.       Season with all the ingredients mentioned under seasoning.

Tips: Adding a handful of cooked groundnut or channa  will increase the quantity and crunchy groundnut will increase the taste.
This can be used as side dish with morkuzhambu. This can be used as gravy with roasted/deep oil fried papad/appalam.vathal.
Instead of roasting we can add 1tsp of fried sambar powder to the grated coconut and grind. This may minimize the time but of course freshly roasted ingredients will give added taste and aroma.

4. Avial kootu

4.       Avial kootu

All the vegetables that are mentioned in plain kootu can be used for making avial kootu.
Ingredients(4persons)
Vegetable - 200/250gms
coconut (grated ) - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 1/2tsp
greenchili - 2
Rice flour - 1tbs
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch (optional)

Seasoning
Coconut oil -2tsp
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Jeera -1/2 tsp
Urid dal -1/2tsp
Red chili -1
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves
Method

1.       Wash and cut the vegetables into small pieces. Cook the vegetable in a cup of water, salt and asafoetida.

2.       Grind coconut, green chili and jeera into fine paste.

3.       Mix with cooked vegetable and boil it for 2 seconds.

4.       Add rice flour paste and mix thoroughly and allow it to just boil.

5.       Season with all the ingredients mentioned for seasoning.

Tips: You can add a spoonful of grated coconut while seasoning and fry slightly and add. This gives a nice aroma and special taste.

2. Araithu vitta kootu

2.       Araithu vitta kootu

Same vegetables that are used for Plain kootu can be used for this also. Brinjal and vazhaipoo/ banana flower can be used for this.
Ingredients:
Same ingredeients as for plain kootu.
Thoor dal or masoor dal can be substituted for moongdal -1/4 cup
For grinding:
Grated coconut -2tbs
Jeera -1/2 tsb
Pepper - 3
Urid dal -2tsp
Red chili -1
Oil - 1tsp
Method:
1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 from plain kootu.
2. Fry urid dal, jeera and pepper in oil and grind into fine paste along with coconut.
3. Add smashed dal, cooked vegetable and ground paste and mix well. Boil it for 2 seconds and season as we did in plain kootu.

Kootu varieties 1. Plain kootu

1.       Plain paasiparuppu (moongdal) kootu 

Vegetables that can be used: Cabbage, chow chow, pudalangai/ snake guard,avaraikai, karamani, beans, carrot, kothavarangai, drumstick, noolkol, peerkangai, vazhai thandu, cauliflower and keerai (mulai keerai, ponnaganni keerai, pasalai keerai, parupu keerai, vendhya keerai, murungai keerai, manathakkali keerai).

 Ingredients: (4person)
 Pasi parupu/Moongdal - 1/2 cup
 Vegetable - 150/200gms
 Jeera - 1tsp
 Pepper - 5/6
 Turmeric powder - a pinch
 Asafoetida - a pinch
 Salt - 1ts p

seasoning
 Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
 Urid dal - 1/2tsp
 Red chili - 1
 Jeera - 1/2tsp
 Asafoetida - a pinch
 Curry leaves
 Cooking oil/Coconut oil - 1tsp
Method:

 

1.     Pressure cook moongdal or you can cook straight away adding a pinch of turemeric powder, asafoetida. Smash and keep it aside.

2.      Wash and chop the vegetable into small pieces and cook adding the salt.

3.      Grind jeera and pepper into powder.

4.      Add smashed dal and add jeera-pepper powder.

5.      Boil it for 2 seconds. If the consistency is too watery sprinkle rice flour slowly.

6.      Season all the ingredients listed under seasoning.

Tips:

1. To cut vazhaithandu: Fibre of the vegetable should be removed. Peel off the external layer. Cut in horizontaly into thin circular pieces. While making the slice, use your fore finger to remove the fibre part. Cut into small cubes and put it in butter milk water to avoid blackening. vazhai thandu dissolves kidney stones. It can be used once or twice a month only. But regular use helps in bowel movement.

2. If you cook moong dal directly, it will over flow. So add a spoon of cooking oil, keep the karandi in the vessel and add turmeric powder after the dal is half cooked. While pressure cooking, add more water to avoid the stickiness in the dal.

3. All or some of the above vegetables not exceeding 200gms can be used to make mixed vegetable kootu. A small potato and brinjal can also be added to this kootu