Koottu-Curry is a semi dry vegetarian dish. It is prepared with vegetables like yam and raw banana along with chickpeas. The main part is the aroma that this dish gets from roasted coconut. This is the Malabar (North Kerala) style of Koottu-Curry. Again there may be slight differences depending on the region you belong to. It may be sweet or spicy. This one is the spicy version of Koottu-Curry.
It is again an inseperable part of Onam Sadhya. It is one of the side dishes served along with others like Avial (mixed vegetable), Cabbage Thoran, Pineapple Pachadi, Kumbalanga Pachadi, Kalan and Olan.
Chick peas/Garbanzo Beans/Kadala - 1 cup (soaked overnight)
Raw Plantain/Pachakkaya - 1
Elephant Yam/ Chena - 1/4 kg
Grated Coconut - 2 cups
Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 tbsp( vary as per spice level)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cumin/Jeerakam - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds/Kaduku - 1 tsp
Red Dry Chilly/Kaay Mulaku - 2
Curry Leaves/Kariveppila - 2 sprigs
Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - as required
METHOD
Cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker till soft along with salt, turmeric and chilly powder. Add water almost
1 inch above the chickpeas.
In another pan, fry 1 cup coconut till dark brown and crisp(No oil required). Keep aside.
Chop plantain and yam into small pieces.
Add this to the cooked chickpeas and pressure cook for 1 whistle ( Add 1/4 cup water if required).
Make a paste of 1 cup grated coconut along with cumin seeds (not very fine paste).
Add the ground paste into the cooker. Do not close the cooker. Let boil and thicken.
When no water remains add the fried coconut.
In a small pan heat coconut oil. Add mustard seeds. When it splutters add dry red chilly and curry leaves.
Pour the seasoning over the koottu-curry.
Tips:
As no green chillies are added check the spice level and add more chilly powder as required. This can be added when cooking the plantains or yam / add it to coconut when almost fried.
While frying coconut do not add any oil as the oil will come out from the coconut as you fry.
There must be almost 1 inch higher level water after cooking yam and plantain. Else boil water and add.
If you would like to check out my other Onam Sadhya Vibhavangal please click on the links below
1. Puli Ingi
2. Olan
3. Kalan
4. Pineapple Pachadi
5. Kumbalanga Pachadi
6. Beetroot Achar
