Poricha Kuzhambu With Vegetables/Tubers

Kootu is a lentil and vegetable dish, particularly in Tamil and Kerala cuisines. The etymology for kootu is derived from the Tamil word “kootu” which means “add” i.e. vegetable added with lentils form the dish, which is semi-solid in consistency. Like the curd or moru based dishes, kootu are also side dishes, similar to dhal fry, pachadi and curry, sometimes devoid of the tangy or sourness of tamarind or curds. Kootu is a tasty side dish as well as a very healthy food.

The dish is noted for its nutty and complex flavors and textures, owing to the liberal addition of lentils and coconuts. It is typically less watery than sambhar, but more so than dry stir-fries. All kootus by default have some vegetables and lentils, but many variations of kootu exist.

? Poricha Kootu: A kootu made with urad dhal and pepper is called poricha (means “fried” in Tamil) kootu. Fried urad dhal, pepper, few red chilies, some cumin and fresh coconut are ground together. Moong dhal and the cut vegetables are cooked separately. Then, the ground paste, cooked vegetables and moong dhal are mixed and heated. Vegetables such as beans and snake gourd are common ingredients in this kootu.

? Araichivita Kootu: A kootu which has a powdered (freshly ground) masala in it; the word araichivita in Tamil literally translates to “the one which has been ground and poured.” The ground paste is a mixture of fried urad dal, cumin seeds and coconut.

? Araichivita Sambar: The chopped vegetables and toor dhal are cooked separately. Then, the ground paste, cooked vegetables and dal are heated together to which a ground paste of coconut, Bengal gram, coriander, red chilies, a few pepper corns, a piece of cinnamon is added. The dish is completed with a seasoning of mustard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koottu

Vegetables such as cluster beans, snake gourd, cucumber, ridge gourd, broad beans, raw banana, yellow pumpkin, white pumpkin, drumstick and tubers such as potato and colocasia (treat this to get it remove its itching component following the procedure given in morkuzhambukal section) can be used to make Poricha kuzhambu.

1. Take any vegetable or tuber. Peel off the skin and stalk and cut them into small pieces. Take the water in a lead coated vessel that can hold about 1 padi of water and allow it to boil.

2. Put the cut vegetables/tubers into the boiling water and cook nicely. Fry pepper, red chilli, black gram and grated coconut adding a little ghee or oil. After frying grind to a smooth paste using little water.

3. Add milk, salt and roasted bengal gram flour into the vessel containing ground paste of coconut etc. Add this mixture to the vegetables/tubers once they are nicely cooked and heat further to cook more.

4. Take a bunch of curry leaves, saute it on fire and add to the kuzhambu (gravy) and mix.

5. Using ghee,mustard, black gram and bengal gram temper by following recipe no. 22 (seasoning recipe) and add to the kuzhambu. If we want we can add ? padi cooked and mashed pigeonpea to the kuzhambu before adding chilli etc.

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