Amma's Kootanchoru Recipe / A Mixture of Rice, Dal, Vegetables, Drumstick Leaves & Spicy Coconut Masala - Typical SouthIndian Rice Dish

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For those who blink for a while after reading the recipe title and wondering what the hell it is, here is a short summary about the recipe. Kootanchoru is a one pot wonder meal, where you mix up all good things in life like rice, dal, spinach, veggies and a little masala. There is no particular measurements for this recipes, you just throw everything in a pot and cook. But the taste of this is simply amazing.

My hubby is a fan of this, and he loves it a lot. In our place, whenever there is a function in the temple, they make this to serve god as well the hungry peoples. Those kootanchoru taste even better because it is cooked with the rice and veggies which is offered by the different peoples. So it never taste same each time. There was some kind of unique taste hidden in them.I got lots of request for this recipe, so here you go..

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves - 6 to 7

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 cup (Cook this with 6 cups of water )
Toor Dal / Tuvaram Paruppu - ½ cup
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp to saute drumstick leaves

Vegetables:
Potato - 1 large peeled and cubed
Raw Banana / Vazhakai - 1 peeled and cubed
Ladys finger / Okra / Vendaikai - 5 chopped
Brinjal / Kathirikai - 1 chopped
Shallots / Sambar Onion / Chinna ulli - 5 peeled and left whole
Pumpkin / Poosanikai - 1 cup chopped
Cucumber / Vellarikai - 1 cup chopped
Drumstick Leaves / Murungai keerai - 3 cup packed

For Grinding:
Coconut - 1.5 cup grated
Chilli powder or Dry Red Chilli - 1 tblspn or 5
Shallots / Sambar Onion / Chinna Ulli - 3
Coriander Seeds / Malli - 2 tblspn
Whole Pepper - 1 tsp

For Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tblspn
Mustard Seeds / Kaduku - 1 tsp
Vadakam / Dried Onion Vadam- 5 piece(optional)

Method:

Soak tamarind in ½ cup of water. Squeeze the pulp with your hands and strain the mixture. Set aside till use.

Start by cooking rice. Take washed rice in a pressure cooker, add 6 cups of water and pressure cook it for 5 whistle. Now simmer the flame and let it cook for 15 mins. Switch off the flame and let the pressure go all by itself. Set it aside.

Now cook the dal, take dal and cover it with water. Cook it for 2 whistle. Now simmer the flame and let it cook for 10 mins. Switch off the flame and let the pressure go all by itself. Set it aside.

Grind the ingredients given for the masala to a smooth paste by adding some water.

Now take all the vegetables in a large kadai. Cover with water and add salt to it. Bring it to a boil and simmer the pot. Let it cook for 20 mins till the veggies are done.

Now add in cooked dal and tamarind water and mix well. Cook it for 5 mins.

Add in the ground masala and mix well. Boil it for 5 to 10 mins.

Saute drumstick leaves in a tsp of oil till the leaves is wilted. Add this to the gravy and boil it.

Make seasoning by heating oil and crackling mustard and vadakam. Pour this into the gravy. Boil it for 5 more mins. Now the gravy is done.

Take rice in a large pot and pour enough gravy into it. Mix well.

Serve with thogayal and papad..

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