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 kaigari (country vegetables). Please refer the notes for the vegetables choice.
This is one of the main Pongal Recipes as well as Thiruvadhira festival.Â
During pongal, we make sakkarai pongal, vellai pongal, this ezhukari kootu, vadai and vendakkai sambar on Pongal day. Sometimes make Kalkandu pongal also along with this.
For thiruvathirai festival, we make it with sweet adai, kali and this kootu.
About
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.
Ingredients
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.
My notes
For spice, I have used simply green chillies but you can also grind a spice mix like we do for arachuvitta sambar and add it along. It makes it more flavorful.
Different vegetable take different time to get cooked, so I add accordingly to retain it's texture.
What are the vegetables to be avoided 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.
You can add cluster beans in this. Mochai is must in the kootu, so try to add it fresh or use dried ones.
Recipe card
7 kari kootu recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Moong dal Paasi paruppu
- ½ Raw banana plantain, vazhakkai
- ½ cup Yellow pumpkin parangikkai, chopped
- ½ sweet potato sakkaravalli kizhangu
- ¼ cup Mochai Fresh, peeled
- 15 broad beans Avarakkai
- 2 tablespoon Elephant yam Karunai kizhangu, chopped
- 2 Seppan kizhangu
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Salt
To grind
- ½ cup coconut grated
- ¼ tsp rice flour
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 2 Green chillies
To temper
- 1 tsp Oil Coconut oil works well
- 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 meanwhile and grind it along with cumin seeds, rice flour, green chilli and little water to a coarse paste.
- Add the cooked dal, coconut paste and bring to boil.
- Finally 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 and adding a spoon finally as such, enhances the flavour.
- We add all ‘gastric veggies’ in this. So it's good to add cumin in this kootu.
- Do not add yam more as it will be giving itchy feel.
- Also, do not add sweet potato and yellow pumpkin more as it will turn sweeter.
Step by step images
1. Firstly, pressure cook moong dal with ¾ cup water for 2 whistles.
Preparing vegetables
1. Peel off the skin of yam, arbi as well as sweet potato. Wash and chop into tiny cubes. Chop the broad beans finely.
2. After that, boil 1 cup of water and add the chopped veggies + mochai, turmeric and salt.
3. 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.
4. Grate coconut meanwhile and grind it along with cumin seeds, rice flour, green chilli and little water to a coarse paste.
5. Now, add the cooked dal, coconut paste to the cooked vegetables and bring to boil.
Finally, 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.
PriyaVaasu
Paarthale Pasikarathu!!!! So Delicious !!!
Shama Nagarajan
Super yummy... .
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Shifa Firoz
Raji what is mochai? is it dry beans?
Lakshmi Venkatesh
You are making me feel very very hungry and run for grasping some food. Kootu is looking too lovely.
Priti S
Looks yum n so the pongal too ...
Chella KS Nathan
My amma does it the same way, miss all that now. i can never get all these veggies here:((
Priya
Its a must for us, i cant imagine pongal without this kootu.
Nagalakshmi V
wow! look at those vegetables. i am very jealous. how can a mix of all these taste anything but great.
Kadhyaa
sounds so yummy and creamy 🙂 bookmarked
Sushma Madhuchandra
kootu with so many root vegetables, tasty!
Uma Ramanujam
Like the combo of all vegetables. Looks super comfort.
Laavanya
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.
Srimathi
My mother in law makes thalatha kozhambu which is similar to your kootu. It is a winner for sure.
divya
Delicious n healthy curry! !! Drooling clicks!!
Sangeetha
must have tasted so good with that plain pongal...liked the 1st pic more 🙂
Jayanthi Karthikeyan
Raji, thanks for this authentic recipe.
Sudha Sabarish
Nice combo of veggies and kootu looks yummy.
Sangeetha Nambi
Country vegetables... Yummy and healthy one...
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Priya Sreeram
make it the same way- happy pongal 🙂
revathi
Very traditional recipe.. I love the medley of veggies ..
Reva
Meena Selvakumaran
Very inviting .Lovely clicks
Apu
Wonderful winter dish!!
Janani
wow looks super tasty never heard of this kootu ,Looks intresting must try it.
Veena Theagarajan
So yummy kootu
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Rita Bose
Delicious dish!! Thanx for sharing!!
Nagashree
I had tasted this at one of my friend's place, yours looks absolutely divine. Bookmarking it. Happy Pongal to you & yours.
Anonymous
Am drooling over this kootu.. Lovely Moram!! 🙂
Anonymous
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
RAKS KITCHEN
Hindi - Val dal / English - Hyacinth bean or field bean 🙂
Sharmilee! :)
Nice kootu recipe with all those veggies....perfect with paal pongal
Jeyashrisuresh
Nice and flavorful kootu, Beautiful memories too.
Nivedhanams Sowmya
romba nalla irukku!!!! so delicious!!! very festive!!!
Sowmya
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Venkatalakshmi Kolluru
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.......:)
Baabi
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!!
Vanitha Venkatesan
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
Raks anand
Yes 🙂
Anitha D
Papdi lilva?
Malini Nagarajan
Hi Madam,should we avoid brinjal in this kootu?
Raks anand
Yes we don't add brinjal I have mentioned in my notes about some veggies that we don't add to the kootu
Geetha Neha
what does seppan n karna kizangu means... avrekayi n mochai are same or wt....
Raks anand
Seppankizhangu is known as arbi in hindi and colacascia is its name. I am not sure about averakayi and mochai if same...