Kootu Curry (with Kadala Parippu)

Kootu curry is another popular Kearla dish, which has found its way into the Palakkad Iyer Kitchens. It is an important part of sadhyas or feasts. Traditionally, yam and plantains are cooked along with brown channa or cowpeas and simmered in a coconut cumin paste, finally tempered with a flavourful tempering of fried coconut and curry leaves.

The recipe I am sharing today is slightly different. This is my mother’s recipe. She uses Bengal gram dal instead of the channa and also she doesn’t use plantains and uses ash gourd. Now off to the recipe:

Serves - 4

What you’ll need

1. Ash Gourd – 2 cups, peeled and diced into small cubes
2. Yam – 1 cup, peeled and diced into small cubes
3. Channa Dal/Kadala Paruppu – 3 tbsp
4. Grated Fresh Coconut – ½ cup
5. Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
6. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Chilly Powder – ½ tsp
8. Powdered Jaggery – 1 tsp
9. Salt to taste

For tempering

1. Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
3. White broken urad dal – 1 tsp
4. Dried Red Chilly - 1 or 2
5. Scraped Fresh Coconut – ½ cup
6. Curry Leaves – few sprigs

Method

1. Soak the Kadala paruppu for about 1 hr.
2. Heat a kadai, and add the soaked dal with just enough water and cook until the dal is almost done. Keep an eye on it as the water may dry up.
3. To this add the chopped vegetables, turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt and jaggery add water, such that the vegetables are just immersed and cook until the vegetables are soft yet retain their shape. 
4. Grind ½ cup of coconut with cumin seeds into a smooth paste adding a little water.
5. Add the ground paste to the cooked dal and vegetables and mix well. Check for seasoning.
6. In the meanwhile, heat another kadai with oil.
7. Temper with mustard seeds then add the urad dal, as soon as the dal starts changing color, add the coconut and fry till dark brown. Also add the dry red chillies and few curry leaves in this.
8. Pour this tempering over the prepared vegetable dal mixture and mix well.

Serve as an accompaniment with rice and sambar.

Note:
You could pressure cook dal without making it mushy.
You can pressure cook the vegetables with turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt, adding about ½ cup of water, for 2 whistles.
And then combine the vegetables and cooked dal. Make sure the both are not mushy.