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Potato and Carrot Koottu

Koottu (meaning ‘adding’) is a quintessential Tamil vegetable lentil stew, and may have been named as such because vegetables are added to a lentil base. Even today, the TamBram version of this utilizes only native vegetables and spices, except for the use of red chilies. My speculation is that this dish may have been cooked with pepper at one time, and was replaced by red chilies only recently. The Palghat version is a very popular dish and is aptly named as ‘mulagoottal,’ which translates to ‘adding pepper.’

The recipe below is a mashup and I use ‘English’ vegetables, and red chilies. Taking a cue from the ‘arachu vitta koottu’ (meaning ‘blend and mix’ variety), I added a combination of pepper, coriander and fenugreek seeds to get some additional kick to this otherwise humble dish.

Traditionally it is cooked with a neutral base, meaning there is no acidic element to this. But I wanted to add a bit of sour taste by including a tiny bit of yogurt in the end to subdue the somewhat overpowering cumin. Finally, the consistency is deliberately kept on the solid side, but if you prefer this to be more liquid, then add an additional cup of water.

This is a very delicate dish, but very simple to cook. You can use cabbage, or spinach or any of the vegetables from the squash or gourds family.

Print Recipe

Potato and Carrot Koottu - Indian Vegetable Lentil Stew

Koottu is a quintessential Tamil vegetable lentil stew. This is a very delicate dish, but very simple to cook. The consistency is deliberately kept on the solid side, but if you prefer this to be more liquid, then add an additional cup of water. You can use cabbage, or spinach or any of the vegetables from the squash or gourds family. It is gluten free and is a vegan dish.

Course

Vegetable Stew

Cuisine

Indian

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

2 minutes

Passive Time

10 minutes

Servings

People

Ingredients

Dry Spices

• 2 Red Chilies Whole Dried
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1.5 tsp Urd dhal Black Gram/white lentil
• 1/2 tsp Hing Asofoetida Powder -- optional

Vegetables

• 2 Carrots Medium diced (1 cup diced)
• 1 cup Potato Medium diced (1 cup diced)
• ½ cup Green peas Dried Soaked for at least one hour

Masala Paste

• 2 tsp Chana dhal Bengal gram/split chickpeas
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 2 Red Chilies Whole Dried
• ½ tsp Pepper
• ¼ tsp Coriander seeds
• ¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds
• 1/3 cup Coconut Shredded coconut. Add as per taste.

Other

• 1 cup Split yellow lentil Moong Dhal
• 1/2 cup Yogurt plain
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Salt add to taste
• Water As needed

Course Vegetable Stew Cuisine Indian Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 2 minutes Passive Time 10 minutes Servings People Ingredients Dry Spices 2 Red Chilies Whole Dried 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1.5 tsp Urd dhal Black Gram/white lentil 1/2 tsp Hing Asofoetida Powder -- optional Vegetables 2 Carrots Medium diced (1 cup diced) 1 cup Potato Medium diced (1 cup diced) ½ cup Green peas Dried Soaked for at least one hour Masala Paste 2 tsp Chana dhal Bengal gram/split chickpeas 1 tsp Cumin seeds 2 Red Chilies Whole Dried ½ tsp Pepper ¼ tsp Coriander seeds ¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds 1/3 cup Coconut Shredded coconut. Add as per taste. Other 1 cup Split yellow lentil Moong Dhal 1/2 cup Yogurt plain 2 tbsp Vegetable oil 1 tsp Salt add to taste Water As needed

Instructions

1. Rinse and soak the green peas for an hour.
2. Rinse and soak moong dhal for at least 30 min.
3. Dice the carrot and potato into small cubes and set them aside.
4. Add oil (1 tbsp or as needed) to a frying pan and heat the oil on medium heat. Add red red chilies, chana dhal and coriander seeds and fry until the chana dhal becomes somewhat brown.
5. Add cumin seeds, pepper, fenugreek seeds and fry them all for a few more seconds.
6. Turn the heat to ‘low,’ add coconut and fry the mixture by continuously stirring it so that it does not get burnt. Fry until the coconut becomes slightly off-white/brown.
7. Turn the stove off, and allow it to cool.
8. Using a blender, grind the fried spices into a fine paste, adding just enough (cold) water to achieve a paste consistency. Take extra caution not to heat it up too much during grinding.
9. Pour the paste into the Inner Pot of the Instant Pot (IP).
10. Add moong dhal, and the vegetables. Add salt.
11. Add about 2.0 cups of water.
12. Close the lid, and cook for 2 min at high pressure. Cool down naturally.
13. Add ¼ cup of water to the yogurt and mix it thoroughly to form a uniform liquid without any solids.
14. Open the IP lid when it is cool and when the pressure valve is down. Add the yogurt and mix gently but thoroughly.