Ezhukari kootu (kootu made with 7 veggies) traditionally made for the south Indian tamil festival thiruvathirai and pongal at our home.
This kootu is very flavourful with all our naatu kaigaris (country vegetables). Please refer the notes for the vegetables choice. This is one of the main Pongal Recipes. We make sakkarai pongal, vellai pongal, this ezhukari kootu, vadai and vendakkai sambar on Pongal day. Sometimes make Kalkandu pongal also along with this.
Since we make it for festival, we don’t add onion or sambar powder in this kootu. Even the sambar and vadai we make on these days we do not add onion as we offer to God. There are lot of traditions followed for Pongal by MOM and MIL, but in Singapore, I make it simple. This year no Pongal celebrations for us, but wanted to post this recipe here as I got few requests from the readers. And special thanks to Jeyashri for the veggies and the cute mat
What are the vegetables to be used in ezhu kari kootu, pongal kootu? Any naatu kaai can be used, parangikai, mochai, avarakkai, vazhakkai, sakkarai valli kizhangu, seppankizhangu, karunai kizhangu.
7 kari kootu recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup moong dal/ Paasi paruppu
- 1/2 Vazhakkai / plantain - 1
- 1 small piece of yellow pumpkin
- ½ sweet potato/ sakkaravalli kizhangu
- ¼ cup fresh peeled mochai
- 15 broad beans/ avarakkai
- 1 small piece of karunai kizhangu
- 2 seppan kizhangu
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt as needed
To grind
- ½ cup coconut grated
- ¼ tsp rice flour
To temper
- 1 tsp Oil
- ½ tsp mustard
- 1 curry leaves
Instructions
- Pressure cook moong dal for 2 whistles and keep aside.
- Peel off the skin of yam, arbi, sweet potato. Wash and chop into tiny cubes.
- Chop the broad beans finely. Boil 1 cup of water and add these veggies + mochai, turmeric and salt.
- Meanwhile peel off the skin of plantain and yellow pumpkin and chop into tiny cubes.
- Add it along the veggies boiling and cook until soft.
- Grate coconut mean while and grind it along with jeera, rice flour, green chilli and little water to a coarse paste.
- Add the cooked dal, coconut paste and bring to boil.
- Temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table and mix well.
Notes
- You can add dried beans as well in this kootu like kaaramani, dried mochai. You have to soak and pre cook before adding.
- Bitter gourd also can be added in this kootu (which I dont like ;))
- While the veggies are getting cooked, you can add few curry leaves (torn into two). This gives nice flavour.
- Using coconut oil for tempering also enhances the flavour.
- What are the vegetables to be avoinded in this ezhu kari kootu, pongal kootu? : ‘English veggies’ like carrot, beans, potato etc..; country veggies like brinjal, snake gourd, ash gourd, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, ladies finger,drumstick.
- We add all ‘gastric veggies’ in this. So it's good to add jeera in this kootu.
- Do not add yam more as it will be giving itchy feel. Do not add sweet potato and yellow pumpkin more as it will turn sweeter.
How to make ezhu kari kootu step by step method:
- Pressure cook moong dal for 2 whistles and keep aside. Peel off the skin of yam, arbi, sweet potato. Wash and chop into tiny cubes. Chop the broad beans finely. Boil 1 cup of water and add these veggies + mochai, turmeric and salt. Meanwhile peel off the skin of plantain and yellow pumpkin and chop into tiny cubes. Add it along the veggies boiling and cook until soft.
- Grate coconut mean while and grind it along with jeera, rice flour, green chilli and little water to a coarse paste.
- Add the cooked dal, coconut paste and bring to boil. Temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table and mix well.
I love this kootu with sakkarai pongal those days. Yeah its weird, but I do eat this way as I don’t like to eat too much of sweet continuously those days. This is very very flavourful kootu.
Paarthale Pasikarathu!!!! So Delicious !!!
Super yummy… .
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Raji what is mochai? is it dry beans?
You are making me feel very very hungry and run for grasping some food. Kootu is looking too lovely.
Looks yum n so the pongal too …
My amma does it the same way, miss all that now. i can never get all these veggies here:((
Its a must for us, i cant imagine pongal without this kootu.
wow! look at those vegetables. i am very jealous. how can a mix of all these taste anything but great.
sounds so yummy and creamy 🙂 bookmarked
kootu with so many root vegetables, tasty!
Like the combo of all vegetables. Looks super comfort.
You and Jeyashri have posted the same one 🙂 Lovely kootu and the recipe i use has toor dhal… must try your mung dhal version once.
My mother in law makes thalatha kozhambu which is similar to your kootu. It is a winner for sure.
Delicious n healthy curry! !! Drooling clicks!!
must have tasted so good with that plain pongal…liked the 1st pic more 🙂
Raji, thanks for this authentic recipe.
Nice combo of veggies and kootu looks yummy.
Country vegetables… Yummy and healthy one…
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make it the same way- happy pongal 🙂
Very traditional recipe.. I love the medley of veggies ..
Reva
Very inviting .Lovely clicks
Wonderful winter dish!!
wow looks super tasty never heard of this kootu ,Looks intresting must try it.
So yummy kootu
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Delicious dish!! Thanx for sharing!!
I had tasted this at one of my friend's place, yours looks absolutely divine. Bookmarking it. Happy Pongal to you & yours.
Am drooling over this kootu.. Lovely Moram!! 🙂
WOw lovely kootu Raks…reminds me of the Thiruvadharai Upperi that I make during the Thirivadharai. Many things that we all cook are made during different occasions…Love the mat color!
Shobha
Hindi – Val dal / English – Hyacinth bean or field bean 🙂
Nice kootu recipe with all those veggies….perfect with paal pongal
Nice and flavorful kootu, Beautiful memories too.
romba nalla irukku!!!! so delicious!!! very festive!!!
Sowmya
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What made me more happy is your strict adherence to the offering (naivedyam) rules and avoiding onion etc. for this preparation…. it is awesome…. where there is a will there is a way……………Excellent presentation and OUTSTANDING performance…. All Congrats…….:)
Raks, you are an absolute genius with presentation. I always read your blogs and find that there is rarely anything that I can't understand or is missing, very thorough and detailed explanation. Kudos!!
soooo yummmmyyy…. thanks alot madam… this is my first pongal in my mother-in-laws home… i am going to prepare this 7 kari kootu,sweet pongal, and milk pongal tomorrow…. i'm going to rock tomorrow… my mom even prepares like wat u had told…. i guess u belong to saiva pillai caste… anyway thanks alot madam
Yes 🙂
Papdi lilva?
Hi Madam,should we avoid brinjal in this kootu?
Yes we don't add brinjal I have mentioned in my notes about some veggies that we don't add to the kootu
what does seppan n karna kizangu means… avrekayi n mochai are same or wt….
Seppankizhangu is known as arbi in hindi and colacascia is its name. I am not sure about averakayi and mochai if same…