Spicy Cabbage Kootu - Traditional Kootu Recipe - EverythingTraditional

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Recipe for cabbage kootu varies in each house in South India, here is my grandmom's home style spicy-tasty kootu recipe, authentic recipe with freshly ground masala and coconut... pairs well with rice, roti and chapathi.

Kadalai Paruppu kootu / muttaikose kootu - as called in Tamil is made with Chana dal but some also make kootu-recipe with moong dal as well or mix of these two dals. I have cooked chana dal separately and then added cabbage to prevent overcooking of cabbage and loosing all its nutrients, also used freshly powdered masala to get fresh aroma to the cabbage gravy.

I had shared Snake-gourd Kootu in my blog, give a try to that kootu recipe too, that's made with slightly different ingredients hence different taste. But you can try both recipes... in this method or that. This recipe has fresh powder that includes even jeera/ cumin and sompu / fennel seeds along with other ingredients, So do try both with vice versa veggies.

This recipe is slightly different from the one cooked in hotels and marriages, this one gives a homely taste with mild spice you can even adjust the cinnamon and cloves as per your taste ... add less for mild curry.

This can be a perfect cabbage curry for chapathi or roti. One can try kootu with chayote squash / seeme badhanekai, brinjal, pumpkin, snake-gourd. Kootu is one of the South Indian recipe with cabbage, we also make cabbage sambar, cabbage bas saaru, cabbage stir fry / palya.

Recipe

Cabbage Kootu Recipe

Cuisine: Indian / South Indian

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients for Cabbage Kootu recipe

Cabbage - 1 small chopped to medium size
Chana dal - 100 gms
Onion - 1 small finely chopped
Tomato - 1 small chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste

For Kootu Powder

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons
Jeera / Cummin - 1 teaspoon
Saunf / fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cloves - 3 to 4
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Red chillies - 8 to 9

For grinding

Coconut - 4 to 5 pieces

Instructions

Wash and cook chana dal with 3 cups of water in pressure cooker for 2 whistles or until dal is cooked and grain should look whole, not mushy.
Grind coconut to smooth paste
Heat a thick bottom pan to make the gravy, add 1 teaspoon oil.
Add mustard after this splutter, add curry leaves, finely chopped onions and chopped cabbage
Sauté for few minutes then add 2 teaspoons of Kootu powder and mix well
Add 1/4 glass water and cook cabbage for 3 minutes
Add cooked chana dal and finely chopped tomatoes
Add salt and simmer for 2 minutes
Add coconut paste and required water, adjust salt and spice and allow to simmer until cabbage is cooked
Switch off the flame and rest it for 5 minutes before serving

Note:

Donot over cook chana dal to mashy, this will not give perfect kootu taste
Cabbage should also be perfectly cooked and not overcooked
Adjust the spice with regular sambar or chilli powder in addition to kootu powder
Rest the curry for a while in the same pan, this will blend all the added ingredients well with cabbage and dal
You can make gravy to thick or watery consistency- for chapati and roti make it thick and for rice keep it watery

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You might also like some of the simple and traditional recipes from my blog

Adai Dosa

Chilkarive soppu palya

Raw mango brinjal sambar - traditional method

Obbattu Saaru

Coconut Sweet chutney for Idli

Traditional Upsaaru Khara

Majjige Huli - quick to make

Traditional simple and easy Sweet Puri

Kadlepuri Uppittu

Bendekai huli gojju

Haal obbattu - traditional

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How to make Spicy Cabbage kootu traditional recipe with Step-by-step pictures

1. Wash and cook chana dal with 3 cups of water in pressure cooker for 2 whistles or until dal is cooked and grain should look whole, not mushy

2. Grind coconut to smooth paste

3. Heat a thick bottom pan to make the gravy, add 1 teaspoon oil. Add mustard after this splutter, add curry leaves, finely chopped onions and chopped cabbage