Poricha Kuzhambu With Turnip

Kootu is a lentil and vegetable dish, particularly in Tamil and Kerala cuisines. The etymology for kootu is derived from the Tamil word “kootu” which means “add” i.e. vegetable added with lentils form the dish, which is semi-solid in consistency. Like the curd or moru based dishes, kootu are also side dishes, similar to dhal fry, pachadi and curry, sometimes devoid of the tangy or sourness of tamarind or curds. Kootu is a tasty side dish as well as a very healthy food.

The dish is noted for its nutty and complex flavors and textures, owing to the liberal addition of lentils and coconuts. It is typically less watery than sambhar, but more so than dry stir-fries. All kootus by default have some vegetables and lentils, but many variations of kootu exist.

Poricha Kootu: A kootu made with urad dhal and pepper is called poricha (means “fried” in Tamil) kootu. Fried urad dhal, pepper, few red chilies, some cumin and fresh coconut are ground together. Moong dhal and the cut vegetables are cooked separately. Then, the ground paste, cooked vegetables and moong dhal are mixed and heated. Vegetables such as beans and snake gourd are common ingredients in this kootu.

Araichivita Kootu: A kootu which has a powdered (freshly ground) masala in it; the word araichivita in Tamil literally translates to “the one which has been ground and poured.” The ground paste is a mixture of fried urad dal, cumin seeds and coconut.

Araichivita Sambar: The chopped vegetables and toor dhal are cooked separately. Then, the ground paste, cooked vegetables and dal are heated together to which a ground paste of coconut, Bengal gram, coriander, red chilies, a few pepper corns, a piece of cinnamon is added. The dish is completed with a seasoning of mustard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koottu

Ingredients :

Turnip – 24 palam

Water – ½ padi

Red Chilly – palam

Pepper – ¼ palam

Black Gram – 1½ palam

Grated Coconut – 1½ palam

Milk – ¼ padi

Powdered Salt – ½ palam

Roasted Gram Flour – ½ palam

Curry Leaves – ¼ palam

Ghee – 1 palam

Red Chilly – palam

Mustard Seed – palam

Black Gram – ¼ palam

Method :

1. Cut each turnip into four pieces, cook them well in water, peel off the skin and cut them into small pieces.

2. Pour water into a lead coated vessel which can hold 1 ½ padi of water and boil. Add the cooked vegetable pieces to it.

3. Fry red chilli, pepper, black gram and grated coconut individually with a little ghee or oil. Cool them and grind into a nice paste using a little water and keep aside.

4. Add the ground paste to milk and pour into the vessel containing the cooked turnip. Add the salt to the poricha kuzhambu and boil to thicken.

5. Mix roasted gram flour with a little water and pour into the kuzhambu and boil.

6. Saute curry leaves and add to the kuzhambu. Season using ghee, red chilli and black gram following the procedure in recipe no. 22 (seasoning recipe) and add to the kuzhambu.

7. If dhal needs to be added, follow the procedure given for the previous poricha kuzhambu.

8. Alternatively, beetroot, carrot and yellow pumpkin can be used instead of turnip. Milk can be replaced by water, if needed in these both procedures.

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