Recipe taken from Cook and see part -1.
This kootu is tasty accompaniment with rice, made in many Tambram households in Tamilnadu. This common, locally grown vegetable is high in nutrients and fibre. Its rich in calcium and therefore enhances bone health. Its known as Kothavarangai in Tamil and Gawar ki phali in Hindi.
Ingredients
- Cluster beans chopped small 2 cups ,
- Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon,
- Red gram dal cooked ¼ cup
- Tamarind ( size of a small lemon ) 15 grams
- Salt 1 ½ teaspoon,
- Sambar powder 1 ½ teaspoon,
- Mustard 1 teaspoon,
- Black gram dal 1 teaspoon,
- Oil 3 to 4 tsp
- Jaggery 1 teaspoon (powdered)
- Rice flour 1 teaspoon (optional),
- Asafoetida ¼ teaspoon,
- Curry leaves few.
- Thick coconut paste or milk 1/4 to 1/2 cup (optional)
- Bengal gram dal 1/2 teaspoon
Method
- Soak the tamarind in ½ cup water for 10 minutes. Extract juice by squeezing the tamarind and taking out thick juice.
- Cook the chopped cluster beans , adding turmeric powder and salt , till three fourths done. Add tamarind water and sambar powder, cook till the raw smell of tamarind goes and vegetables turn soft . Add jaggery, red gram dal and coconut paste or milk and give a stir.When the whole mixture combines well. Remove from fire. Add curry leaves.
- Season with mustard, bengal gram dal and black gram dal.
- Rice flour can be mixed with a little water to get a thick paste and added to koottu to make it thicker .
- Sambar vadams can be fried and added to the koottu.
- While buying cluster beans get the tender ones. Otherwise they take a longer time to cook.
- Beans like butter beans ,black eyed beans soya beans etc can be added to the above koottu.
Note
Take half a cup grated coconut and grind with a small ladle of water to make a thick paste . Filter the coconut paste through a muslin cloth or strainer, to get coconut milk .