Vazhaithandu Kootu
Vazhaithandu Kootu is an easy and delicious South Indian Side made with Banana Stem, moong dal and seasoned with aromatic spices.
Ingredients
- Moong Dal - ¼ Cup
- Water - 2 Cups + ¾ Cup
- Onion - 1 small (sliced)
- Jeera - 1 tsp
- Tomato - 1 small
- Green Chilli - 1 slit
- Vazhaithandu | Banana stem - 1 heaping Cup (cleaned and finely chopped)
- Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
- Asafoetida - ⅛ tsp
- Sambar powder - ½ tsp
- Salt - ½ tsp (adjust per taste)
To temper
- Oil - 2 tsp
- Mustard - ¼ tsp
- Broken Urad Dal - 1 tsp
- Jeera - ½ tsp
- Dry Red Chilli - 1
- Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Instructions
- First clean and chop the banana stem as shown in my earlier post.
- Add the moong dal along with 2 Cups of the water to a large pan. Cook the dal in medium flame until fully done.
- Meanwhile, grind 2 Tbsp of the sliced onion, jeera and about ¼ Cup water in a mixie/blender to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
- Once the dal is fully cooked, add all the remaining ingredients (remaining sliced onion, tomato, chilli, banana stem, turmeric, asafoetida, sambar powder and salt) to the cooked dal. Also, add the ground paste to the pan Mix well. Cook covered until the banana stem is fully cooked. Turn off the flame.
- Heat the oil in a separate pan and add the mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds sputters, add the remaining ingredients under "To temper", in the given order. Saute until the urad dal turns golden brown. Turn off the flame. Add the tempering to the cooked banana stem and dal. Mix well.
- Serve hot.
Notes | FAQ
- Adding ground onion and jeera paste enhances the flavor of the kootu. It is best not to skip it.
- While adding onion jeera paste add extra water as per desired consistency.