Koottu-Curry/ Roasted Coconut with Yam, Plantain and Chickpeas - Onam Sadhya Vibhavangal 7

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.

INGREDIENTS
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

  

Puli Ingi / Tangy Ginger - Onam Sadhya Vibhavangal 1

Onam the harvest festival of Kerala is one of the biggest festival celebrated in the state. It is celebrated by every malayalee across India and the world. Onam is when the monsoons end and marks the beginning of Autumn in Kerala.

I have beautiful memories of Onam . Waiting for the exams to be over so we can celebrate Onam in full swing, picking flowers to make the flower carpet, wearing new dress, watching movies, playing around with a house full of cousins..Yay it was total fun. We would wait for the Thiruvonam day to make the biggest flower carpet and then have the grand Sadya in the afternoon.

'Onasadya'  is the grand feast on Onam day. A wide array of almost 25 items are served on banana leaves. A complete vegetarian meal.

Onam is around the corner and I wish to share some of the dishes with my dear readers. So here is the first Kerala Onam delicacy - the Puli Ingy. Ginger and chilly is fried in a tangy jaggery-tamarind sauce. It is sweet sour and spicy! A true treat for your taste buds.

INGREDIENTS

Ginger - 1/2 cup finely chopped

Green Chilly - 1/2 cup finely chopped

Tamarind- Lime size

Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs

Jaggery - 1 piece

Shallots - 3 chopped fine

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Fenugreek Powder - 1 pinch

Coconut Oil - 1 tablespoon

Water - 1 cup

Salt - as required

METHOD

Chop ginger and chilly very fine.

Heat oil in a pan.

Add the chilly and ginger. Fry till golden brown and crisp.

Add tamarind water along with pulp.

Keep stirring and bring to a boil. 

Add salt.

Pound the jaggery and add to the boiling mixture.

Add asafoetida and fenugreek powder.

Add curry leaves.

Add shallots.

Stir till thick consistency is reached.

If you wish to see other Onam Sadhya Vibhavangal click on the links below:

Kalan

Olan

Pineapple Pachadi