Vazhaipoo Kootu Recipe – Banana Flower Kootu - Plantain Flower Kootu

 Vazhaipoo kootu / Banana flower kootu/ Plantain flower kootu is my recent try in vazhaipoo recipes. I followed my MIL’s South Indian, Tamil nadu style basic kootu recipe with some modifications and tried it. It came out very well. Its a very simple kootu recipe that can be prepared in a pressure cooker directly. It can be prepared under 15 minutes if you have cleaned banana flower ready in hand. Banana flower, moong dal, sambar powder and coconut are the main ingredients in this recipe. 

I am happy that I got an easy, yummy recipe with banana flower other than my usual vazhaipoo vadai, vazhaipoo poriyal and vazhaipoo dosa.  My MIL makes vazhaipoo/ vazhaithandu mor kootu. Soon I will share that recipe too. Now lets see how to make South Indian, Tamil nadu style Vazhaipoo kootu recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my post on

• How to clean vazhaipoo

• Vazhaipoo Kuzhambu

• Vazhaipoo usili

• Vazhaipoo vadai

• Vazhaipoo poriyal

• Vazhaipoo kola urundai

• Vazhaipoo dosai

• Vazhaipoo mor kootu

Vazhaipoo kootu / Banana flower kootu recipe

Vazhaipoo kootu / Banana flower kootu for rice

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Kootu recipes

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Banana flower - 2 cups (Chopped) Moong dal - 2 tbsp Sambar powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Ripe tomato - 1 no ( finely chopped) Salt & water - as needed To Grind Grated coconut - 1/3 cup Rice flour - 1 tsp Water - to grind To Temper Coconut oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Curry leaves – Few Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Big onion – 1 no (Finely chopped)

HOW TO MAKE VAZHAIPOO KOOTU

1. Wash and clean the vazhaipoo florets. Chop into small pieces and immerse in buttermilk.
2. In a pressure cooker base, heat coconut oil. Temper it. Saute onions.
3. Add chopped vazhaipoo, tomato, moong dal, sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt.
4. Grind coconut, rice flour to paste. Add to the kootu.
5. Add water, pressure cook for one whistle in low flame.
6. Remove the lid. Mix well and check for taste. Add more salt and some water if needed.
7. Serve with vatha kuzhambu, kara kuzhambu and curd rice.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and clean the banana flower florets. Please check this post for how to clean vazhaipoo. Chop the vazhaipoo into small pieces. Keep them immersed in buttermilk till use to prevent blackening. Heat coconut oil in a pressure cooker base. Temper mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Saute onions till transparent. Add chopped vazhaipoo, tomato pieces, moong dal and saute for few minutes till vazhaipoo shrinks a bit. Add sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt. Mix well. Grind coconut + rice flour to a smooth paste. Add 1 cup of water, coconut paste and mix well. Pressure cook for one whistle in very low flame. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mix well and add some water if the kootu is too thick. Suppose if the kootu is watery, boil for some time till thick. Mix well and serve with vatha kuzhambu rice, kara kuzhambu or curd rice. If you like, you can mix this kootu in plain rice adding ghee. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sambar powder for spicy taste. To replace sambar powder, use red chilli powder + coriander powder. You can also saute one red chilli while tempering for more spicy taste. Do not reduce the quantity of coconut and tomato because vazhaipoo may taste slightly bitter based on its variety. You can replace moong dal with soaked chana dal or soaked toor dal. To replace tomato, you can add 1/2 tsp of tamarind extract too. You can follow the same recipe and use banana stem/ Vazhaithandu instead of vazhaipoo.

Easy, healthy Vazhaipoo kootu for rice is ready. I served with Hotel style Kara kuzhambu. It was yum !

 

Very good recipes Tags: Vazhipoo kootu, vazhaipoo kootu recipe, vazhaipoo recipes, banana flower kootu, plantain flower kootu, banana flower recipes, plantain flower recipes

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Sorakkai Kootu Recipe | Bottle Gourd Kootu For Rice

Sorakkai kootu / Bottle gourd kootu for rice is an easy to make, yummy South Indian style kootu recipe with coconut, moong dal. We call it as sorakkai poricha kuzhambu too. I make it as side dish for vathakuzhambu. Long back, I had shared my MIL’s sorakkai paal kootu and sorakkai sweet kootu recipes. 

Recent days, you would have seen me making all my kuzhambu, poriyal and kootu recipes prepared using pressure cooker easily. For this recipe too, I have used my pressure cooker to ease my job. It came out very tasty and flavorful. I loved it with vathakuzhambu rice and curd rice. For variations, you can use chana dal instead of moong dal like hotel ones. 

Friends, do try this easy, healthy bottle gourd kootu at home and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make Sorakkai kootu for rice with step by step pictures.

 Check out my sorakkai sambar, sorakkai paal kootu, sorakkai dosai too !

Sorakkai Kootu Recipe – Bottle gourd Kootu

Sorakkai Kootu Recipe – Bottle gourd Kootu For Rice

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Side dish for rice

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Bottle gourd / Sorakkai - 2 cups (Chopped into small cubes) Moong Dal - 1.5 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Sambar Powder - 1 tsp (Adjust) Salt & Water - as needed To Grind Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Rice flour - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Small onion - 2 ( optional) Water - to grind To Temper Coconut oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Curry leaves – Few Red chilli – 1 no Hing / Asafetida – A pinch

HOW TO MAKE SORAKKAI KOOTU

1. Wash and peel the skin of bottle gourd. Chop into small cubes.
2. In a pressure cooker base, temper and take the chopped bottle gourd, moong dal, turmeric, sambar powder, salt and water. Mix well.
3. Grind coconut + rice flour, cumin, onion to smooth paste adding water.
4. Add the coconut paste to the cooker. Cover and cook in very low flame for 2 whistles.
5. Open the lid after steam is released. 
6. Mix well and serve hot with rice.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and peel the skin of bottle gourd/ Sorakkai. Cut into two halves. Now remove the spongy center portion which has seeds.Chop the hard portion into small cubes. Set aside. Grind coconut, rice flour, onion, cumin seeds to smooth paste adding required water. Keep it apart.  In a pressure cooker base, heat coconut oil and temper mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves. To this, add chopped bottle gourd, moong dal, turmeric, sambar powder, salt & water. Mix well. Add the ground coconut paste. Mix well together.  (If you use chana dal, soak in water for 20 minutes and then add to cooker along with bottle gourd pieces) Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mix & check for taste. Add more sambar powder & salt if needed. Serve hot with plain rice or vathakuzhambu rice. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste and spice level. You can use 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder and 1 tsp of dhania powder instead of sambar powder. For variations, you can skip cumin seeds while grinding. You can also do the tempering at the end.

Try this easy, yummy Bottle gourd kootu in pressure cooker and enjoy with rice !

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Pudalangai Kootu – Snake Gourd Masala Kootu Recipe

I learnt this pudalangai kadalai paruppu masala kootu / snake gourd kootu for rice from my friend Megha. This is not like the usual version of kootu. This kootu has a mild masala flavor with ginger garlic paste. I have already shared a brinjal masala kuzhambu learning from my friend Megha. This is also a very similar recipe but I have used soaked chana dal/ kadalai paruppu. In some hotels, they serve this kind of kootu. I make this kootu  directly in a pressure cooker to ease my job. I also make it slightly thin like a gravy and mix with rice & ghee. If you make it thick, you can have it as side dish for rice or chapathi. It tastes more like kurma kulambu. Whenever I make this pudalangai kootu, I make some spicy rasam to go with it. It would be a simple but comforting meal for us. Ok,  Lets see how to make snake gourd kootu with chana dal for rice.

Do check out my Arai Keerai/ Amaranthus kootu, Manathakkali keerai kootu, Palak Keerai kootu, Carrot kootu, Cabbage kootu, cluster beans kootu, Beetroot kootu and mixed vegetable kootu recipes too.

Snake gourd kootu / Pudalangai kootu

Snake gourd kootu with chana dal & masala - Pudalangai kadalai paruppu kootu

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Kootu Recipes

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Snake gourd / Pudalangai - 1 medium sized Chana dal / Kadalai paruppu - 3 tbsp Big onion - 1 no Ripe tomato - 1 no To grind Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Cinnamon – 1 small piece Cloves – 1 no Big onion - 1 no Coriander leaves - 1 sprig Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander seeds powder / Dhania powder - 1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp To Temper Coconut oil or cooking oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - Few

METHOD

1. Wash and chop Snake gourd into small pieces.
2. Soak chana dal in enough water for 15 minutes.
3. Grind the items given under “To grind” to a smooth paste.
4. Heat oil in a cooker base and temper mustard, urad dal and curry leaves.
5. Saute chopped onion, tomato until mushy. Add snake gourd pieces, chana dal and ground masala paste.
6. Saute till raw smell goes off. Add enough water and salt. Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Serve with rice or chapathi.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak chana dal in enough water for 15 minutes. In the mean time, wash and chop snake gourd into small pieces. Chop onion and tomato into small pieces and set aside. Grind all the ingredients given under “ To grind” to a smooth paste adding water. Set aside. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Saute onion and tomato pieces. When tomato becomes mushy, add chopped snake gourd and soaked chana dal.Mix well. Now keep the flame medium and add the ground masala paste. Saute till raw smell goes off. Add water and required salt. Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles.Remove the lid after the steam is released. If the kootu is watery, boil for sometime to make it thick. If its too thick, add little water, mix well and boil for few seconds. Enjoy mixing with hot rice adding ghee Or as a side dish for vatha kuzhambu sadam & chapathi / roti. Enjoy !

Note

Soaking chana dal is very important else it won’t cook properly. You should soak at least for 15 minutes, You can use ridge gourd, bottle gourd or chow chow  instead of  snake gourd and make the same. You can also use 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder if making for chapathi. Grinding onions and gg paste gives a nice flavor.So do not avoid them. You can skip coriander leaves if you don’t have in hand.

Try this yummy snake gourd masala kootu easily in a pressure cooker and enjoy !

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Kothavarangai Kootu Recipe – Cluster Beans Kootu / Poricha Kuzhambu Recipe

Kothavarangai kootu recipe / Cluster beans kootu (Gawar Ki Phalli sabji in Hindi) is an easy, healthy side dish for rice.We call this as Kothavarangai poricha kuzhambu in Tamil.

We make it as a gravy and eat it by mixing with plain rice adding ghee.We serve with puli kuzhambu too. Usually I make kothavarangai sambar or poriyal. But recently I started making this kootu learning from my MIL. It is prepared with cluster beans, moong dal, tamarind sambar powder and ground coconut paste. We love its taste and flavor. To make my job simple, I make this kootu directly in a pressure cooker. So this side dish for rice can be prepared under 15 minutes. Do try this healthy cluster beans kootu at home and enjoy with plain rice & ghee. Lets see how to make kothavarangai poricha kuzhambu with step by step photos !

Kothavarangai Kootu Recipe / Cluster Beans Kootu

Kothavarangai poricha kuzhambu / cluster beans poricha kootu recipe for rice

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Kootu Recipes

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Cluster beans/ Kothavarangai - 20 nos. Moong dal - 1 tbsp Tamarind  or tomato - small piece( 1/2 tsp extract) / 1 no.   Sambar powder - 1 tsp Salt & Water - as needed To grind Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Small onion - 2 nos or big onion - 1/4 no Cumin seeds /Jeera - 1/4 tsp Rice flour - 1 tsp Water - to grind smooth To Temper Coconut oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Wash and chop cluster beans into 1 inch size pieces.Grind coconut, onion, cumin seeds to a smooth paste and keep aside. In a pressure cooker base, heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves. Add the chopped cluster beans and saute for 2 minutes in medium flame. Add 1 cup of water, turmeric powder, sambar powder, moong dal, tamarind extract or chopped tomato and ground coconut paste. Mix well. Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Open the lid after the steam is released. Mix well and check for thickness. If the kootu is very thick, add 1/4 cup water, mix well and boil for a minute. If its watery, boil for 2 minutes till kootu becomes thick. Serve this kootu with puli kuzhambu or vatha kuzhambu. You can mix this with plain rice adding a tsp of ghee. Tastes great ! Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per your taste. If you don’t have sambar powder, you can replace with 3/4 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp dhania powder. You can also use one tomato ( finely chopped) instead of tamarind extract. Addition of cumin seeds & onion for grinding adds a nice flavor to this kootu. So do not avoid it unless you make a no onion no garlic kootu. Use chana dal instead of moong dal for variations.

Try this easy kothavarangai kootu and enjoy with plain rice or vatha kuzhambu !

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Carrot Kootu Recipe – South Indian Kootu Varieties

Whenever I have lots of carrot, I make carrot beans poriyal, carrot halwa or carrot sambar for idli. I don’t try carrot poriyal or carrot kootu as Sendhil doesn’t like the sweet taste of carrot dominating in poriyal or kootu. So this time I made small changes in the recipe. I added more moong dal/Paruppu and coconut masala to suppress its sweet taste. It turned out really well as I wished. Its tasted like my mixed veg kootu / Aviyal. 

Sendhil loved it very much. I made this kootu as a side dish for Sundakkai vatha kuzhambu. It was a nice combo. Raksha loved it too. Most of the kids love carrot. So you can try it for your kids as this kootu recipe  is healthy and mildly spiced. Lets see how to make this easy, yummy, one pot South Indian Kootu recipe – Carrot kootu !!

Carrot kootu recipe

South Indian Kootu Recipes - Carrot kootu recipe

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: kootu recipes

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Carrot - 4 nos ( medium sized) Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp Salt & water - as needed Moong dal - 3 tbsp To grind Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Green chillies -2 nos Small onions or big onion - 4 no / half Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Water - as needed To temper Coconut oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Wash and chop the carrots into small roundels. Grind all the ingredients given under “ To grind” to a smooth paste adding enough water.Set aside. Heat coconut oil in a cooker, splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves.Add the sliced carrot, moong dal and turmeric powder . Mix well. Lastly add 1 cup of water and pressure cook for one or two whistle in low flame. After the steam is released,open the cooker and add the ground coconut paste.Mix well and boil for few minutes till kootu thickens as u like. Remove from the flame, mix well and serve with rice and kuzhambu. Enjoy !

Try this easy, kids favorite carrot kootu for rice and enjoy !!

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Manathakkali Keerai Kootu Recipe-Black Night Shade Recipes

Manathakkali Keerai kootu is a healthy side dish for rice.I think about manathakkali keerai(Black night shade in English) only when we get mouth ulcers and inflammations .It gives a good cure for liver & other stomach related problems.Apart from these,there are many more health benefits.So I treat this keerai as a medicine mostly.I usually make Manathakkali thanni saaru using fresh leaves and Vatha kuzhambu with dried berries.Its been my long time wish to try kootu recipe with it.But I was afraid of its bitter taste.My MIL told me to add more dal and coconut to suppress its bitterness.I followed the same and the kootu came out very well.This time I followed an easy method and cooked it directly in the pressure cooker just like paruppu keerai.Its taste was very close to hotel ones.Here I have used moong dal.You can replace it with toor dal or chana dal too.Friends,do try this easy,healthy kootu.It’s a good side dish for Vatral kulambu rice.Lets see how to make this South Indian style manathakkali kootu recipe.

Manathakkali keerai kootu recipe

Manathakkali keerai kootu recipe-Healthy,easy one pot keerai kootu recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish for rice

Yields: 3

Prep time: 15 Min

Cook time: 15 Min

Total time: 30Min

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 200ml

Manathakkali keerai/Black night shade – 2 cups Mooong dal - 3 tbsp Salt & Water – as needed To Grind Grated coconut - 1/2 cup Rice flour - 1 tsp To Temper Cooking oil or coconut oil - 1.5 tbsp Mustard seeds -1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Small onion - 15 nos or Big onion - 1 no Tomato – 1 no Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp Sambar powder - 1.5 tsp

METHOD

Remove the leaves from stalk and wash it twice.Chop them roughly and set aside.Chop the onions,tomato.Keep aside. Grind the coconut and rice flour to a smooth paste.Set aside. Heat oil in a pressure cooker base and splutter mustard seeds,jeera.curry leaves. Add onions, tomato and saute till transparent & mushy.Add the moong dal,saute for a minute.Now add the chopped keerai and saute until they shrink. Add 1 cup of water,sambar powder,turmeric powder and required salt. Cook it for one whistle in very low flame. After the pressure is released,add the ground coconut paste and boil the kootu for 5 minutes.Add some water if it thickens.Lastly add the coconut oil and switch off the flame. Transfer the kootu to a bowl aned close with a lid.

Note

For variations u can cook the leaves &dal separately and mix them as given in my keerai kootu recipe. Replace manathakkali with arai keerai,mulai keerai or palak and proceed as given above.

Healthy,One pot Manathakkali Keerai kootu is ready to eat with Kara kuzhambu & rice !!

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Beetroot Kootu Recipe-Side dish For Rice

I am planning to share this recipe for long time but i was not able to do it.This is one kootu recipe i make very often next to keerai kootu & mixed vegetable kootu.This is our family favourite recipe too.As Sendhil has fatty liver problem,i try to include beetroot in my cooking at least twice or thrice in a week.I make this kootu or one of these poriyals( my mom’s version & easy version).Even Raksha loves these recipes lot.Today she told me to prepare More kuzhambu & beetroot kootu for her lunch.So i made it along with Pirandai thogayal for our lunch.My MIL has the practice of mixing side dishes with rice adding a drop of ghee or gingely oil to make her Son & daughter eat vegetables.So i too mixed this kootu with plain rice adding a tsp of ghee & packed for Sendhil’s lunch box.But Raksha loves to have this kootu as a side dish for more kuzhambu sadam like me.It tastes great in either ways ! Here i have used moong dal following my MIL.You can also replace it with chana dal like in hotels.Do try it.Its a very simple and delicious kootu recipe with a mild sweetness of beets !

Beetroot kootu recipe

Beetroot kootu recipe with moong dal

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dishes

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To pressure cook Beetroot - 1 no ( very big) or 2 nos ( if medium sized) Moong dal - 1.5 tbsp Salt & water - as needed To grind Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Green chillies - 2-3 nos Small onions - 3 nos Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp Rice flour - 1/2 tsp To temper Coconut oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of beetroot and chop into small cubes.In a pressure cooker base,take the moong dal,chopped beetroot,salt & water.Mix well and pressure cook for one whistle in low flame.( I cooked it along with rice in cooker by keeping beetroot in a small bowl to save time). Grind all the ingredients given under” to grind” to a smooth paste adding enough water. Add this paste to the cooked beetroot and boil the mixture in a kadai till its raw smell goes off completely.Add some water if u find the kootu is very thick. Lastly heat a small kadai and temper all the ingredients given under “to temper”.Add to the kootu and mix well. Enjoy !

Note

You can replace moong dal with chana dal but u should soak the chana dal for 30 minutes before cooking. Add more chillies if u want the kootu to be spicy.We like mildly spiced kootu.So i add only 2 chillies. Adding coconut oil gives a nice flavor to this kootu.So don’t skip it.

Enjoy this healthy,colorful beetroot kootu with rice and any gravy !

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Very good recipes Tags: Beetroot kootu recipe, Beetroot kootu, beetroot kootu with moong dal, Beetroot recipes, side dish for rice, Kootu recipes

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