Keerai Kootu

Kootu is a speciality of Tamil Nadu cuisine. This green kootu dish is filled with proteins, vitamins & packed with lots of goodness to it. Kootu dish has variations to it as it can be cooked with different vegetables mixing either with toor dal or moon dal. My mom version is little different & it will be on a little dry side than this dish. She adds black peppers to the spice paste as I did here & no onion or garlic in the dish. 

Cooking Details 
Prep Time-5mins 
Cook Time-45mins 
Serves - 3 to 4 People
Ingredients 
1/2Cup moong dal 
1Cup water
Salt to tate
To grind 
1/4Cup +1Tbs grated coconut
1/2Tsp jeera 
1Tsp black pepper
1/4Tsp turmeric
1Green chilli
3Cups chopped spinach 

Seasoning 

2Tbs oil

1Tbs urad dal 

1Tsp mustard seeds 

2Red chili's cut equally

Few curry leaves  

1/2Tsp hing {asafetida}

Directions

- Wash moong dal with water & pressure cook it with 1cup water for 2whistles. Switch off heat & allow pressure cooker to cool. 

- Grind the ingredients to coarse paste. 

- In a pan mix grind paste, cooked dal & salt. Now cook dal on low heat for 15mins. Stir it once in a while to avoid lumps. 

- Slowly raw smell of spinach vanishes. Adjust salt if needed.

- Heat another small pan with oil. To that add mustards, urad dal & red chili's. Once the mustard starts jumping add curry leaves & hing to pan. Cook for 10sec & switch off heat. 

- Now add seasoning to dal & mix well. Cook dal on low heat for 2mins & switch off heat.

- Serve it warm with rice, ghee & papadums.

Note

- You can pressure cook spinach along with moong dal, but it will loose it's green color changing to darkish green. 

- I used a little more of black pepper while reducing green chili's. Add one more green chili if you like it spicy. 

- Onion can be added to the grinding ingredients if desired. 

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