Vazhaithandu Kootu
- 55 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Vazhaithandu kootu, a Tamil Nadu side of banana stem and moong dal in a coconut, green chilli and cumin paste. Mild, vegetarian, serves 4, about 55 minutes.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Good for: Tamil New Year, Onam
Ingredients
Banana Stem, Chopped500 grams
Water, For Soaking500 ml
Lemon Juice1 tsp
Coconut, Grated50 grams
Green Chilli, Slit10 grams
Cumin1 tsp
Moong Dal100 grams
Turmeric Powder1 grams
Salt1 tsp
Oil2 tsp
Mustard Seeds1 tsp
Urad Dal (split)1 tsp
Dry Red Chilli1 grams
Curry leaves2 grams
Asafoetida0.3 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 | 221kcal | 884kcal |
| Protein | 7.8g | 31g |
| Carbohydrate | 32g | 127g |
| Fat | 7.7g | 31g |
| Fibre | 6.7g | 27g |
| Sugar | 2.3g | 9.2g |
Method
Get the banana stem ready by removing the tough outer layers. Slice it thinly, pull out the fibre as you go, and chop it into small pieces. Keep it in the water mixed with lemon juice, rinse the moong dal, grate the coconut, slit the green chillies, break the dry red chilli and rinse the curry leaves.
Grind the grated coconut, green chilli, cumin and water to a coarse paste. The paste should be thick, with no large coconut pieces.
Add the rinsed moong dal, water and turmeric powder to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium flame for 2 whistles, then let the pressure release naturally. The dal should be soft but not watery.
Drain the banana stem and add it to a kadai with salt and water. Cover and cook on medium flame for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pieces are tender and the water has almost dried.
Add the cooked dal and coconut paste to the banana stem. Mix gently and cook on low flame for 4 to 5 minutes, until the kootu is dry and the raw coconut smell goes.
Heat the oil in a small kadai on medium flame for 1 minute until hot. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter for 30 seconds. Add the urad dal and dry red chilli and fry for 1 minute until the dal turns light golden. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida, fry for 10 seconds, then pour the tempering over the kootu, mix once and serve hot or warm.
Before you start
- How long does Vazhaithandu Kootu take?
- 55 minutes from start to finish. That is 20 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Vazhaithandu Kootu serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Vazhaithandu Kootu vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Vazhaithandu 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 Vazhaithandu Kootu?
- 500 grams Banana Stem, 50 grams Coconut, 10 grams Green Chilli, 100 grams Moong Dal, 1 grams Turmeric Powder, 1 grams Dry Red Chilli, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Vazhaithandu Kootu?
- No, it is cooked in an open pot.
- How many calories are in Vazhaithandu Kootu?
- About 221 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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