Arichivitta Kootu ~ Veggies in spiced lentil gravy

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Kootu (Tamil = coming together) is a Tamilnadu dish with main ingredients being vegetables and dal (lentils) and therefore rich in proteins and vitamins. Of course, there is the faux pas of even Thovve (just dal + vegtables) being called Kootu. As S says, if its not sambhar or rasam, it has to be Kootu. Earlier on, I used to address to correct this issue, but now let it pass - after all, what is palatable is what counts, nomenclature be shifted to the back burner.

Today's dish, Arichivitta Kottu is a staple dish that goes well with Rice or chapatis alike. Any vegetable can be added to this (barring of course, Lady's finger /brinjal etc), this medley of vegetables can be had in the Kurma form (with onions / garlic / ginger) or today's dish with more saatvic ingredients of black pepper, Urad dal and cumin freshly ground.

Over to today's dish:

Prep time : 10 mins. Cooking time : 20 mins. Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Veggies - Carrots / Cauliflower/French beans  - finely chopped - 2 cups
• Moong Dal / Toor Dal - 1 handful (½ cup)
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric - ½ tsp

For tempering :

• Oil - 1 tsp, Mustard seeds-  1 Tsp, Curry leaves - few, Peanuts (handful)- Optional

Spicy Masala (for grinding):

• Urad dal / Split black gram - 1 TBSP
• Jeera / Cumin - ½ TBSP
• Black Pepper - ¼ TBSP
• Dhania / Dry coriander seeds - ¼ tablespoon (opt)
• Red chillies - 2 or 3
• Hing / Asafoetida - ½ tsp
• Freshly Grated coconut - 2 TBSP

Method:

1) Wash and par boil all veggies in a pan of water with a pinch of salt till ¾ cooked but not mushy.

2) Pressure cook the dal with little water and a pinch of turmeric till done. Cool

3) In a pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil and gently fry all ingredients of masala (excluding coconut) one by one till Urad dal is browned and other ingredients leave out a gentle nice aroma. Grind with coconut to a smooth paste.

4) In a deep bottomed pan, prepare the tempering. Add the boiled dal, ground spice mixture, salt, and the veggies and let it simmer covered on a gentle boil for 3 - 6 mins.

5) Uncover, transfer to dish and serve hot with Rice or Rotis. Tastes yum even with curd rice !:)

Tips:

1) You may add any medley of vegetables to this curry. I have even added a handful of boiled jackfruit seeds and 1 chopped potato to enhance the taste.

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