Ezhu Kari Kootu

I asked my husband the other day what would he like to have for Sunday lunch and he said ‘Ezhu kari kootu', which means Kootu made of 7 vegetables. Though its called 7 kari kootu, atleast 10 different kinds of veggies go into this typically. I pulled up my good old ‘Meenakshi ammal’s cook book and checked the recipe. This kootu is especially made on ‘Thiruvadarai’ to go with ‘Kali’. Now I’m not a big fan of kali, I’ve made sambar with tons of veggies before but have never called it ‘7 kari kootu’. So I decided to stick to the recipe and tried to find suggested veggies; I got everything but mochai kottai, after some brainstorming decided to substitute Lima beans for ‘Mochai kottai’. I made it like a Sambar, instead of a thick kootu. With chock full of colorful veggies and lentils, this is not only a healthy dish but absolutely delicious. I served it with hot rice, a dash of ghee and fried appalams on the side, now what more can one ask for on a Sunday afternoon ! Later, I headed to the couch straight after lunch and took a nice well-deserved nap!


Recipe adapted from Meenakshi Ammal’s ‘Samaithu Paaru’.
Assorted vegetables – Beans, Green drumsticks, carrots, Green peppers, Raw Bananas, white Pumpkin, Lima beans, yellow squash, zucchini – chopped, 3 cups.
Toor Daal – ½ cup
Tamarind – ¼ cup, soaked in hot water
Water – 2 cups
Coconut – ½ cup
Dried red chilies – 10
Dhaniya seeds – 1/3 cup
Channa Daal – ¼ cup
Oil – 4 tbl spoon
Curry leaves – 10
Mustard seeds – 1 tspn
Asafoetida, a pinch
Salt, per taste

Grind coconut, Red Chilies, Dhaniya seeds and Channa daal to a fine paste with water. Set aside.
Extract tamarind pulp and set aside.
Cook Toor Daal. While this is cooking, heat 2 tables spoon of oil in a big sauce pan, add veggies and fry for 3 minutes.
Now add the tamarind extract and salt and cook till the raw smell of tamarind is gone(about 20 minutes).
Add the ground paste and cooked/mashed daal. Let the whole thing come to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Heat remaining oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds and Asafoetida. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves and give it a quick toss. Pour on top of the Sambar. Serve hot with rice.

What with the lentils, lima beans and a mix of veggies, I’m going to send this over to Sweetnicks, as my entry for ARF-5.