Sabudhana payasam

This is another dessert. Its very common in Tamilnadu Iyer families to make payasam using sabudhana. First time I made this payasam without soaking sabudhana in water. It didn't came out well. Again I tried making this payasam after soaking sabudhana in water for 3 hours. Here is the receipe.

Ingredients :-

1. Sabudhana - 1 cup
2. Milk - 4 cups (preferably whole milk or 2% milk)
   
3. Sugar - 2 or 3 cups (acc to taste)
4. Cardamom powder - a pinch
5. Pacha karpooram - a pinch

First Soak sabudhana in water for 3 hours. After three hours wash it and pressure cook it with 2 cups of milk, upto 3 whistles. After opening the pressure cooker, add the remaining milk and turn the stove to low. Let it cook for another 15 mts. Stir it every two minutes make sure nothing it burnt:) Now add the sugar and let it cook for another 5 mts. Turn off the stove. Finally add cardamom powder and pacha karpooram to it and close the lid. After 5 mts. open the lid. Now payasam is ready to serve.

If you like to garnish it, fry few cashews and raisins in ghee, to golden brown and pour it on top of the payasam.

Semiya Paayasam

Here is another dessert... Semiya - Vermicelli, a kind of pasta from which we can make upma, payasam, vermicelli bagalabath etc. Here is the receipe for semiya payasam.

Ingredients:-

1. Semiya - 1 cup
2. Milk - 4 cups (whole milk or 2% milk)
   
3. Sugar - 3 cups (acc to taste)
   
4. Cardamom powder - 1 or a pinch
   
5. pachakarpooram - a pinch
6. Cashews - 6
7. ghee - 1 tsp

First take a pan, preheat a drop of ghee and fry the semiya(vermicelli) to golden brown. Keep it aside. Now take another pan, pour milk, if you want you can add a cup of water with milk and bring it to boil now add vermicelli to it and cook it in a slow flame for 7 mts. Now add sugar to it. Turn the stove to very low. Since the sugar will release some water, there is no need to add water or milk along with sugar. Stir it every two mts. Add the cardamom and pachakarpooram to it and turn off the stove when the vermicelli is fully cooked. Now payasam is readyIn the ghee pan, roast the cashews to golden brown. Add it to the payasam.

If needed, you can also add raisins, we have to roast it along with cashews and add it to the payasam. I personally feel, adding raisins to these type of payasam(where we add sugar) will disturb the taste of milk and sugar.

Eggplant Pitlai 2

This is another kind of pitlai in which we use garbanzo beans instead of groundnuts or peanuts. Here is the receipe..

Ingredients:-

1. Eggplant - 5 (cut it into cubes)
2. Garbanzo Beans - a small cup (or a handful)
3. Toor dhall - 1 cup
4. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
5. Fresh coconut - 2
6. Channa dhal - 1/2 tbsp
7. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Red chillies - 2 (acc to taste)
9. Asafoetida Powder - a pinch
10. Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
11. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Sambar powder - 1 tsp
13. Salt to taste
    

For Seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
5. Curry leaves - few
   

Soak the garbanzo beans for a minimum of 8 hours. Pressure Cook it and keep it aside. Also pressure cook toor dhall with a pinch of turmeric powder in it. Keep it aside. Take a small pan, pour a drop of oil, preheat it and fry coriander seeds, channa dhall, coconut, red chillies, asafoetida, to golden brown and let it cool. Grind it in to a fine paste.

Now take a wide pan, put the eggplants (brinjal) adding tamarind, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and a cup of water and let it cook for 6 mts. When it is half done add the cooked garbanzo beans to it and let it cook for another 3 mts. Now add the coconut paste to it and let it boil for another 2 mts. Now add the cooked toor dhall and let it cook for another3 mts. Pitlai is done.

Take a small pan, pre heat the oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida powder and fry it till golden brown and pour it into sambar. Try this and lemme know your comments.

Kollu(Horse Gram) Rasam

Kollu - Horse gram, is good to control obesity. Here is the receipe and main ingredients are as follows...

Ingredients:-

1. Kollu - 2 tsp
2. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
3. Toor dhal - 2 tsp
4. Black pepper - 1 tsp (acc to taste)
5. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Asafoetida Powder - a pinch
8. Tomato - 1 1/2
9. Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning:-

1. oil - 1 tsp
2. Ghee - 1 tsp
3. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Asafoetida powder - apinch
6. Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
7. Curry leaves - few

This rasam is very easy to make. First take a pan, fry kollu for 2 mts. Then grind, coriander seeds, pepper, cumin, toor dhal, kollu, asafoetida powder and 3/4 tomatoes, into a fine paste. Take a wide pan, put the remaining tomatoes, add tamarind paste, pour a cup of water, add the kollu paste, add turmeric powder, salt and let it boil for 7 mts. When everything is well cooked, and fine aroma comes out from ingredients, pour one more cup of water. Turn off the stove when foam comes out of it. Now take a small pan, preheat the oil and ghee, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida powder and curry leaves and fry it till golden brown. Pour it into the Rasam. Now kollu rasam is ready to serve.

Note:- We can also add cooked Toor dhall & water instead of plain water. In that case, we don't have to add toor dhal while grinding the mixture.

Thippili Rasam

Thippili - usually used when we have body ache. My patti used to make a kashayam from thippili whenever we have fever or cold. It usually reduces the body pain. My MIL make this rasam once in every two weeks. Here is the receipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Thippili - a small piece
2. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
3. Black pepper - 1/2 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp
5. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
6. tomato -1
7. Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning:-

1. ghee - 2 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Curry leaves - few
5. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

First fry thippili for 2 mts in a dry pan. Then grind it along with coriander seeds, pepper, cumin, and tomato into a fine paste. Take a wide pan, put the paste, tamarind paste, a cup of water, turmeric powder and salt and let it cook for 10 mts. The raw smell from thippili should go. Then add 1 or 1 1/2 cup of water to it and wait till the foam comes out from it. Turn off the stove now. Take a small pan, pre heat ghee, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida powder and curry leaves and fry it till golden brown. Pour it into rasam. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Now Thippili rasam is ready to serve.

Paruppu urundai Rasam

This was our Lunch last saturday. After having my breakfast, I opened our fridge to grab some veggies and start preparing the lunch. The vegetable basket was empty. Luckily my MIL called and I asked her some ideas cos I didn't want to go out for lunch. She gave me this receipe instantly and it was fun eating something different. If you have plans to do it right now - before reading the full receipe, first soak the said dhalls, green chillies, redchillies in water for half an hour - after putting it in water start reading the receipe!! Here is the receipe and the main ingredients are as follows:-

Ingredients for paruppu urundai:-

1. Channa Dhall - 1/4 cup
2. Toor dhall - 1/4 cup
3. Urid dhall - 2 tsp
4. Red chillies - 1
5. Green chillies - 2
6. Ginger - a small piece
7. Salt to taste
8. Sesame oil - 1 tsp
9. turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
    

Ingredients for Rasam:-

1. Tamarind - 1 1/2 tsp
2. Tomato - 3/4 finely chopped
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Rasam Powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt to taste

For seasoning:-

1. Ghee - 1 tsp
2. oil - 1/2 tsp
3. mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Red chillies -1
6. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
7. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Its better to start both simultaneously. After soaking take out the dhall clean it and grind it coarsely along with chillies, ginger and salt. Pour it in a microwave safe vessel, add the sesame oil, turmeric powder and 1/2 cup of water to it and microwave it for 3 mts first. In the mean time, cut the tomatoes, put it in a pan, add tamarind paste with a cup of water, turmeric powder, rasam powder and salt and let it boil for 5 mts.

Take the half cooked dhall out from the microwave, stir it and keep in the microwave for another 3 mts. Take it out after 3 mts and let it cool for a minute and make small balls out of it. This is paruppu urundai. Keep it aside.

When a fine aroma comes out of the tomato-tamarind mixture (or when raw smell of tamarind and tomato goes) add one or one and half cup of water to it. Turn off the stove when foam comes out of it. Now add the paruppu urundai's to it. In a small pan, pre heat ghee and oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida powder and fry it till golden brown. Pour it on top of the paruppu urundai rasam. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

When we make this paruppu urundai rasam, we usually mix only the urundai's with rice and the side dish will be more kozhambu. After that we eat rasam separately without taking urundai's.
Its fun to make this receipe. Try this and lemme know your comments

Paruppu payasam

In our family, we make this paruppu payasam or paruppu kanji along with idly on sivarathri night. This will be our palagaram on that day for all of us from small kids to big aduts. Here is the receipe of paruppu Kanji..

Ingredients:-

1. Moong dhall - 1/4 cup
2. Jaggery - 1/4 cup
3. milk - 6 ounce
4. cardamom - 1

First roast the moong dhall for 2 to 4 mts until it turns to a light pink color. Then pressure cook the moong dhall with 2 to 3 cups of water. Mash the dhall finely. Now add cardamom and jaggery to it and let it boil till the raw smell of jaggery disappear. Now add the milk and let it boil for another 5 mts. Now paruppu kanji is ready to serve.

We can also add a tablespoon of cooked channa dhall along with moong dhall. If you want to garnish it, then roast cashews in a drop of ghee, till golden brown and pour it on top of this kanji or payasam.

Quick Carrot Halwa

This is not the traditional carrot halwa in which we use milk. This is a quick carrot halwa which I myself learnt it last week. I was making Carrot rice for dinner. While making this rice, we grind the carrot and get the juice out of it and we use only the juice and not the grinded carrots. After finishing my work, I saw a lot of left over grinded carrots. Thought of making a dessert. It came out really well and my toddlers finished it very quicky thinking its rava kesari. Here is the receipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Shredded or grinded Carrot - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1 1/2 cup (acc to taste)
3. Water - 1/2 cup
4. Ghee - 5 tbsp
5. Cardamom powder - a pinch
6. Pachakarpooram - a pinch
7. Cashews - 4 or 5
   

If you are taking the left over carrot, just put the sugar, water, carrot, cardamom powder and pachakarpooram in a microwave safe vessel and microwave it for 5 mts. Take it out and stir it well and pour 2 tbsp of ghee in it and again microwave it for another 3 to 5 mts. It will be ready by then. Take it out pour the 2tbsp ghee and keep it aside and let it cool. Take a pan, pre heat the remaining ghee and fry the cashews to golden brown. Pour it on top of the halwa! Try this and lemme know your comments

Pearl Onion Sambar

Kutti vengaya Sambar - most of us like this sambar. The main ingredients are as follows..

Ingredients:-

1. Pear Onions (kutti vengayam) - a small cup
   
2. Toor dhall - 1 cup
3. Tamarind - 1 1/2 tbsp
4. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
5. Channa dhall - 1 tsp
6. Fresh coconut - 1 1/2 tbsp
7. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Red chillies - 2
9. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Salt to taste

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
   
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Curry leaves - few
5. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
6. Red chillies - 1

First pressure cook the toor dhal with a pinch of turmeric powder and keep it aside. Take out the skin from pearl onions and keep it aside. Take a small pan, pre heat a pinch of oil, add coriander seeds, channa dhal, fenugreek, red chillies, coconut and asafoetida powder and fry it till golden brown. Also take 4 pearl onions and fry it along with the above said ingredients to golden brown. This will increase the taste of sambar. Let it cool and grind it into a fine paste.

Now take a pan, put the remaining pearl onions, add tamarind paste, a cup of water, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt and let it boil for 7 to 10 mts till the onion become tender. Now add the coconut paste with it and again let it cook for another 2 mts. Add the cooked toor dhal to it and let it boil for another 5 mts. Now sambar is ready. For seasoning, take a small pan, preheat the oil, add mustard seeds when it splutters add fenugreek seeds, red chillies, asafoetida powder and curry leaves to it and fry it till golden brown. Pour it on top of the sambar. Serve hot with rice.

Kalyana Godhsu

This is more similar to the regular godhsu. But we include dhal in this godhsu. The main ingredients are as follows...

Ingredients:

1. Moong dhal - 1 cup (medium sized)
2. Tomato -1
3. Onion - 1/2
4. Ginger - a small piece
5. Green chillies - 1 (acc to taste)
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt to taste.
   

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Urid dhal - 1/4 tsp
5. Red chillies - 1
6. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

First pressure cook the dhall and mash it nicely after opening. Take a pan, preheat the oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds, urid dhall, red chillies and green chillies, asafoetida powder and onion. Fry it till golden brown. Now add tomato to it and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Now add the cooked dhall, salt and turmeric powder and let it again cook for another 7 mts. Now godhsu is ready to serve. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Puli Inji - Ginger pickle

This is another pickle which we can make using ginger. This inji puli and pulikachal are different from each other. The main ingredients are as follows...

Ingredients:-

1. Ginger - 5 tbsp (Chopped evenly)
2. Tamarind(raw) - 2 tbsp
3. Green chillies - 1 or 2
4. Jaggery - 1 tbsp
5. Salt to taste

First take the raw tamarind (its better to use raw tamarind instead of tamarind paste), green chillies, jaggery and salt and grind into a fine paste. Do not add water while grinding. Now we can follow two ways of making this inji-puli. One is just mix the chopped ginger to the above paste and mix it well. Let it soak for a day. We can start using this as a pickle from the next day.

Other method is, take a pan, preheat a teaspoon of sesame oil, add mustard seeds when it splutters add the grinded paste to it with half cup of water and let it boil for 5 to 7 mts. Turn off the stove and put the ginger pieces on top of it and mix it well. Let it soak in the tamarind paste overnight and can be used the next day.
The above said quantity can be used for a week.

Dosai Milagaipodi

Dosai Milagaipodi is a very essential side dish for south Indians. Everyone will have their own version of milagaipodi. This is the receipe, which my MIL used to follow to make milagapodi. The main ingredients are as follow...

Ingredients:-

1. Mustard Seeds - 1 tbsp
2. Channa dhall - one hand ful (oru pidi)
3. Urid dhall - 3/4th of Channa dhall
4. Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
5. Dry Ginger (sukku) - 1 tsp
6. White Sesame Seeds - 3 tsp
7. Red chillies - 20
8. Tamarind - a small piece
9. Jaggery - 1 tbsp
10. Salt - 1 1/2 tbsp (or acc to taste)
    

Take a wide pan, pour a drop of oil fry everything except tamarind and jaggery, to golden brown. Fry the ingredients one by one. Let it cool and grind it into a fine powder. While grinding add the dry tamarind and jaggery powder to it and grind it well.

Orange Zest pachadi

Orange zest (orange thol in tamil) is usually used for making face pack. This is something very different and tastes really good. The main ingredients are as follows...

Ingredients:-

1. Orange Zest - 2 tbsp
2. Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
3. Jaggery - 1 tbsp
4. Green chillies - 1 (add acc. to taste)
   
5. Salt to taste
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:-

1. Sesame Oil - 1 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Curry leaves - few leaves
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

First chop the orange zest into very tiny pieces or can even use a shredder. Keep it aside. Now take a pan, pre heat the oil add mustard seeds, when it splutters add asafoetida powder, Green chillies and curry leaves and let it fry till golden brown. Now put the chopped or shredded orange zest to it and saute for a minute. Now add the tamarind paste and add a cup of water, turmeric powder and salt to it and let the zest cook for 7 to 10 mts. When the zest is tender add the jaggery powder to it and mix it well. If necessary add some more water and let it boil for another 5 mts. This is a wonderful side dish for kootu rice, molagootal rice. This pachadi has variety of flavours like, sour tangy from orange zest, sweet from jaggery, sour from tamarind, spicy from green chillies.

Mysore Rasam

This is a simple rasam but it tastes really good. Here is the receipe and the main ingredients are as follows:-
Ingredients:

1. Tomato - 2 (medium sized)
2. Toor dhall - 1/4 cup (medium sized cup)
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Green chillies - 2
5. Salt to taste
6. Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 1/2 tsp
2. Ghee - 1/2 tsp
3. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
6. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

First pressure cook the toor dhal and keep it aside. Take a pan, put the finely chopped tomatoes into it add a cup of water, turmeric powder, salt to taste, pepper powder and 1 green chillies to it and let it cook for 7 mts. When the tomatoes are finely cooked, add the toor dhall to it. Also add the required amout of water to it. Turn off the stove when foam starts coming out of rasam. Take a small pan, pre heat the oil and ghee, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add fenugreek seeds, asafoetida powder and remaining green chillies to it and fry it till golden brown. Pour it on top of Rasam. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Ginger Rice

I read this in a magazine. I tried it and came out really nice and here's the receipe. The main ingredients are as follow...
Ingredients:-

1. Cooked rice - 1 cup
2. Ginger - 4 tsp (shredded ginger)
3. Green chillies - 2
4. Onion - 1/2 (finely chopped)
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
6. salt to taste
7. Oil - 2 tsp
8. Butter - 2 tsp
9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Urid dhal - 1/4 tsp
11. Curry Leaves - few

Take a pan, pre heat oil and butter, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urid dhal, curry leaves, green chillies, onion, ginger and fry it till golden brown. Add turmeric powder and salt and saute for a minute. Now pour everything on top of the cooked rice and mix it well. Do not mash the rice. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

We can also avoid using turmeric powder while making this rice. This rice is really good for sore throat.

Garlic Rice

Garlic - it has wonderful medicinal value. Again i tried this receipe from a book. Here is the receipe and the main ingredients are as follow...

Ingredients:-

1. Cooked Rice - 1 cup
2. Garlic -5 cloves (or acc to taste)
3. urid dhall - 2 tsp
4. Toor dhall - 2 tsp
5. Red chillies - 2
6. Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
7. Crystal salt (kal uppu) - acc to taste.
8. Fresh coconut - 1/2 tsp

Take a dry pan, fry toor dhall, urid dhall, red chillies, coconut and crystal salt to golden brown without adding oil. Then fry garlic for 2 mts. Let everything cool and grind it into a fine powder. This may not come as a fine powder, still it is ok. Now add this powder to rice adding sesame oil to it.

Pineapple Rasam

This rasam, I learned from my MIL yesterday! Its really delicious. Lets see the receipe. The main ingredients are as follows...

Ingredients:-

1. Pineapple pieces - 1 medium sized cup
2. Toor Dhall - 1/4 cup (medium sized cup)
3. Tamarind paste - 1/2 tbsp
4. Green chillies - 3 (or acc to taste)
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Rasam Powder- 1/2 tsp (can also be avoided)
7. Salt to taste

For seasoning:-

1. Ghee - 1 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
5. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

First pressure cook the toor dhall adding turmeric to it. Keep it aside. Take few pieces of pineapple and keep it aside. Grind the remaining pineapple and take out the juice from it. Keep it aside. Take a pan, put the remaining pineapple pieces, add tamarind paste, cup of water, turmeric powder, salt, green chillies, rasam powder (Optional) to it and let it cook for 5 mts. Now add the pineapple juice to it and let it again boil for another 4 mts. Now add the Toor dal with a cup of water. When the rasam starts emitting a wonderful aroma, turn off the stove. Take a small pan, pre heat the ghee, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add fenugreen seeds, asafoetida powder to it and fry it till golden brown. Pour it on top of the rasam. Garnish it with Coriander leaves.

Spinach Kootu

This is something which I learnt from my MIL. We can make this kootu with or without dhal. In case of immediate requirement, can make this kootu without dhal. This receipe I am writing here is without dhal. The main ingredients are as follow...

Ingredients:-

1. Spinach - 1 box (frozen)
2. Onion - 1/2 finely chopped
3. Fresh coconut - 1 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Green chillies - 3 (acc to taste
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt to taste

For Seasoning:-

1. Oil - 1 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds- 1/2 tsp
3. Urid dhal - 1/2 tsp
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
5. Curry leaves - few

First thaw the frozen spinach and cook it for 5 to 6 mts. in microwave. Take it out and keep it aside. Now take coconut+greenchillies+cumin seeds+onion and grind it into a fine paste. Take a wide pan, pre heat oil, add mustard, allow it to splutter, now add urid dhall, asafoetida powder and curry leaves and fry it to golden brown. Now add the cooked spinach to it. Add a cup of water, turmeric powder, salt and coconut paste to it **. Let it cook for another 5 mts. Now spinach kootu is ready to serve. We can use this kootu with rice, chapathi, poori.

** - If you have plans to add dhall, we can add it in this stage. Toor dal(1/2cup) + Moong dal (2 tbsp) cooked will work.

Chow Chow Kootu (Bangalore kathirikkai)

Chayote Squash ( Bangalore Kathirikkai) - the fruit and the seed are rich in amino acid and Vitamin C. This kootu is a wonderful side dish for Thogayal Rice. The main ingredients are as follows...

Ingredients:-

1. Chow Chow - 1 cup (cut it into a small cubes)
2. Peas - 3 tbsp
3. Moong Dhal - 1/2 cup
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt to taste
   
6. Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
7. Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
8. Urid dhal - 1/4 tsp
9. Black Pepper - 1 tsp
   
10. Cumin Seeds - 1/2
    
11. Fresh Coconut - 1 tbsp
12. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

For Seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Urid dhal - 1/2 tsp
4. Red chillies - 1
5. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

First pressure cook the Moong dhal upto 2 whistles adding turmeric powder to it. Keep it aside. You can also add the vegetables to the dhal and cook it along with the dhal. Take a small pan, pour a drop of oil in it and add coriander seeds+channa dal+urid dhal+black pepper+cumin seeds+Asafoetida powder+Coconut and fry these to golden brown. Let it cool and grind it. Keep it aside.

After opening the pressure cooker, take a wide pan, pre heat the remaining oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urid dhal, red chillies and asafoetida powder and fry it till golden brown. Now pour the vegetable and dhall mixture in it and also add the coconut mixture to it. Add salt and let it cook for 5 mts. When everything is mixed, turn off the stove and garnish it with coriander leaves. Now kootu is ready to serve.