Kathirikai Kootu
- 50 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Kathirikai kootu, a Tamil Nadu side of brinjal and moong dal in a coconut, cumin and pepper paste. Mild and vegetarian, serves 4, ready in about 50 minutes.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Good for: Tamil New Year, Onam
Ingredients
Water, For Cooking350 ml
Moong Dal100 grams
Turmeric Powder1 grams
Coconut, Grated40 grams
Cumin1 tsp
Black Peppercorns1.5 grams
Green Chilli, Slit5 grams
Oil2 tsp
Mustard Seeds½ tsp
Urad Dal (split)1 tsp
Curry leaves2 grams
Asafoetida0.5 grams
Brinjal500 grams
Salt1¼ tsp
Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped6 grams
Contains: wheat.
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 189kcal | 756kcal |
| Protein | 8.3g | 33g |
| Carbohydrate | 26g | 102g |
| Fat | 6.8g | 27g |
| Fibre | 9.2g | 37g |
| Sugar | 5.1g | 20g |
Method
Get the ingredients ready. Rinse the moong dal and grate the coconut. Wash and slit the green chilli, wash the curry leaves, dice the brinjal and finely chop the coriander leaves. Keep the diced brinjal in water so it does not darken.
Place the moong dal in a pressure cooker with 250 ml water and turmeric powder. Pressure cook on medium flame for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, until the pressure pin drops. The dal should be soft and easy to mash.
Put the grated coconut, cumin, black peppercorns and green chilli in a mixie. Add 40 ml water and grind to a slightly coarse paste with no large coconut pieces.
Heat the oil in a kadai on medium flame for 30 seconds until hot. Add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they splutter. Add the urad dal, curry leaves and asafoetida, and fry for 1 minute until the dal is light golden.
Add the diced brinjal, salt and 100 ml water to the kadai. Mix, cover and cook on low flame for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring twice, until the brinjal is soft but holds its shape.
Add the cooked dal and coconut paste to the brinjal. Mix and cook on low flame for 4 to 5 minutes until the kootu is thick and dry. Turn off the flame and mix in the coriander leaves.
Before you start
- How long does Kathirikai Kootu take?
- 50 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Kathirikai Kootu serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Kathirikai Kootu vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Kathirikai Kootu spicy?
- It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Kathirikai Kootu?
- 100 grams Moong Dal, 1 grams Turmeric Powder, 40 grams Coconut, 1.5 grams Black Peppercorns, 5 grams Green Chilli, 2 grams Curry leaves, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Kathirikai Kootu?
- No, it is cooked in an open pot.
- How many calories are in Kathirikai Kootu?
- About 189 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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