Cabbage Kootu

Ingredients

•    Cabbage – 3 cups chopped
•    Moong dal or a mix of moong + tur dal – 1/4 cup
•    Sambar powder – 2 tsp
•    Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
•    Curry leaves -3-4 leaves
•    Brown or white channa (kondai kadalai/chick peas) – fistful -(optional)
•    Salt as needed

   For the Paste

•    Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
•    Cumin seeds/ jeera seeds – 1 tsp
•    Fried gram/pottu kadalai – 1 1/2 tsp or use rice flour – 3/4 tsp ( this is used only for thickening)

   For the seasoning

•    Oil -1 tsp
•    Mustard seeds – 3/4 tsp
•    Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
•    Hing/asafoetida – a pinch
•    Curry leaves – few

   For Garnishing

•    Coriander leaves

Preparation

We will divide this recipe into 3 easy steps – 1. Pressure cook cabbage  2. Add the ground paste  3.Boil and season the kootu. That’s it, your cabbage kootu is ready!! Let’s get started.

Chop cabbage or shred cabbage thinly.

Soak channa overnight and pressure cook with a little salt until soft. Keep it aside.

Grind ingredients mentioned under “For the paste” to a fine paste with little water and keep it ready.

Method

Step-1 – Take a pressure pan or cooker, add chopped cabbage, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt needed, dal, curry leaves and 1 cup of water. (picture below)

Pressure cook for 3 whistles. Open after the pressure subsides. (picture below)

Step 2 – After opening the cooker, add cooked brown channa, ground paste, another 3/4 cup of water and boil well.

Step 3 – Season the kootu – Heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds, when it sputters, add urad dal. When dal turns golden brown, add  hing, red chillies, curry leaves and pour it over the kootu.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or chapati.