Vegetable kootu

Kootu is a Tamilian word meaning a kind of thick vegetable stew. A simple lunch on a hot summer's day could be a mound of boiled white rice, a katori of lightly spiced kootu, another of sambhar, a glass of salted buttermilk and a bowl of sour curds to round off the meal.

The nice thing about making kootu is that the dish lends itself to many variations, is easy to prepare and rather filling. It is especially good if you are inviting vegan friends over for an Indian meal with a difference. Use a combination of hard vegetables, but just so as to give the dish a robust body include some starchy vegetables in your selection along with some root veggies. If you prefer a tangy taste try adding 1 small raw green mango -- as this will make the stew very sour, omit tomatoes if using the mango.


The Recipe:

1 and a half cup diced mixed vegetables (choose any combination of these vegetables: carrot, potato, a few French beans, 1 tomato, some bits of ridged gourd or any other squash, a bit of Japanese cucumber)
2-3 green chillies slit through the middle
1 teaspoon tumeric
half cup boiled and mashed channa dhal (Bengal gram dhal)
1/2 a coconut grated and blended with 3 chillies and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
salt to taste
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
a few curry leaves
1 teaspoon oil

Put the diced vegetables in large pan and add enough water to cover the vegetables; add salt, a few curry leaves, chillies and tumeric powder and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer till veggies are cooked through, adding more water if needed to keep the vegetables from drying out completely.
Add the coconut paste and a little more water (if required to keep the vegetables in a thickish sauce) along with the cooked dhal. Cook on medium flame for another 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat.

The Seasoning: Heat the oil, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds and fry a few seconds till mustard seeds start crackling. Remove from heat and pour this seasoning over the vegetable kootu. Serve hot.