Kootu curry or kootu kari is a Kerala side dish traditionally made for Onam Sadhya. It is a delicious combination of yam and raw banana with brown chickpeas in a coconut base.
It is usually made during festival times, especially as part of Onam Sadya. We can make it on regular days too, as yam, raw banana and chickpeas has lot of fibre as well as they are nutritious.
Check out my other Onam Sadhya recipes and this pulikuthi kuzhambu recipe in this website.
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Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients needed to make Kootu curry.
- Yam - Elephant yam - Chena - cut into cubes. Choose the yellowish ones (old) not the young reddish yam.
- Raw banana - Vazhakka - I cut these to larger cubes to balance the cooking time of Yam and this.
- Brown chickpeas - Kadala - Gives a nice texture, added protein in the dish.
- Coconut - Fresh grated coconut works best as it's base and garnish.
- Cumin seeds - Adds flavour as well as helps to balance the gastric natures of the ingredients used in this dish.
- Red chilli - Use both red chilli powder as well as dry red chilli in this recipe for spice and flavour.
- Black pepper powder - It adds a nice mild flavour though you won't sense it distinctly.
- Turmeric powder- As always used in most of the Indian dishes, for it's colour and goodness.
- Jaggery - Just a little for balance of taste.
- Coconut oil - Use lots of good quality, cold pressed coconut oil if possible.
- Curry leaves - A main ingredient in all Kerala dishes for it's flavour.
- Mustard, urad dal - For tempering.
Check out my recipe card below for exact measurements.
Step by step images
Let's see how to make Kootu Curry.
1. Wash and then soak brown chickpeas overnight with enough water.
2. Next day, drain water, add salt, enough water to immerse (1 to 1 & ¼ cup) and pressure cook for 5 whistles in medium flame.
3. It should be cooked soft, that is if you press, the inside should be soft and easy to press.
4. Then add cubed yam, raw banana followed by red chilli powder, black pepper powder, turmeric, jaggery, required salt for the vegetables.
5. Give it a mix and then add water if needed. Do not add lots of water as this dish has to be thick/ semi-dry.
6. Pressure cook for 3 whistles in medium flame.
7. Meanwhile, take ½ cup coconut with cumin seeds and little water in a mixie jar.
8. Grind it to a paste.
9. Add to the cooked vegetables. Adjust with little water if needed.
10. Mix well and simmer furthermore for 2-3 minutes. Once thick, switch off.
11. Heat a pan with coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, add along red chillies. Then add urad dal. Once golden, add curry leaves.
12. Lastly add the rest of the grated coconut.
13. Roast well until coconut turns golden and aromatic.
14. Finally, add it to the kootu curry and mix well to serve.
Serve as part of Onam sadhya as side dish. We had it with matta rice. Some Kerala pappadam can be more delicious to have with.
Substitutions & Variations
- You can add ash gourd in place of raw banana.
- Instead of brown chickpeas, add chana dal.
- If you like you can add 2-3 shallots (small onion) while grinding coconut as it gives a nice flavour.
Top tips
Add some raw coconut oil and few torn fresh curry leaves at the end for more flavour.
While choosing yam, go for old yam (yellowish inside) instead of the fresh ones (reddish inside) as the fresh are more itchy.
Make sure to cube the raw banana larger than yam so that the same cooking time in cooker together, doesn't affect the texture.
My notes
I used little less roasted coconut, but I suggest to use equally ½ cup for grinding and ½ cup toasted as it gives the perfect dry texture for the kootukari as well as the flavour.
Make sure to cook the brown chickpeas well. Soaking and cooking in medium heat helps. You can even skip cooking with salt first, then add salt only when you add the vegetables.
You can do the process of cooking vegetables by boiling too instead of pressure cooking. But I prefer this as it is easy and cooking yam thoroughly is a must to avoid the itchy properties of yam.
FAQs
Though it may seem similar, the taste is so different because of the ingredients used. Kootu curry and erissery can be interchanged. They are prepared in different regions and named different too. Kootu curry can be combination of vegetables like yam, raw banana and ash gourd. It has brown chickpeas or chana dal in it. But Erissery is always prepared with one vegetable (yellow pumpkin) and has vanpayar (brown cow peas). So the flavours are totally different.
You may get a itchy sensation while eating the yam in tongue and throat. This may be because you have not cooked the yam properly. Use lots of coconut, jaggery to avoid this.
Buying the right type is also important. Choose the old ones (or buy and keep ahead) rather than the fresh yam(reddish when compared to the old ones).
Storage/ Shelf life
Kootu kari stays good in fridge for couple of days comfortably.
Onam Sadhya Recipes
- Achinga Payar Thoran Recipe
- Moru Curry Recipe | Kerala Style Spiced Buttermilk
- Vellarikka Kichadi Recipe | Cucumber Kichadi
- Ulli Theeyal Recipe | Traditional Kerala curry
Recipe card
Kootu Curry Recipe | Kerala Kootu Kari | Onam Sadya Recipes
Ingredients
- ¼ Elephant yam ¾ cup Chena, cubed
- ½ Raw banana ¾ cup Vazhakka, cubed a little larger than the yam
- ½ teaspoon Red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Jaggery
- Salt as needed
To grind to a paste
- ½ cup Grated coconut
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
To temper
- 1 tablespoon Coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Black mustard seeds
- 2 Red chilli
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- ½ cup Grated coconut
Instructions
- Wash and then soak brown chickpeas overnight with enough water.
- Next day, drain water, add salt, enough water to immerse (1 to 1 & ¼ cup) and pressure cook for 5 whistles in medium flame.
- It should be cooked soft, that is if you press, the inside should be soft and easy to press.
- Then add cubed yam, raw banana followed by red chilli powder, black pepper powder, turmeric, jaggery, required salt for the vegetables.
- Give it a mix and then add water if needed. Do not add lots of water as this dish has to be thick/ semi-dry.
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles in medium flame.
- Meanwhile, take ½ cup coconut with cumin seeds and little water in a mixie jar.
- Grind it to a paste.
- Add to the cooked vegetables.
- Mix well and simmer furthermore for 2-3 minutes.
- Once thick, switch off.
- Heat a pan with coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, add along red chillies. Then add urad dal. Once golden, add curry leaves, rest of the grated coconut.
- Roast well until coconut turns golden and aromatic.
- Finally, add it to the kootu curry and mix well to serve.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to cube the raw banana larger than yam so that the same cooking time in cooker together, doesn't affect the texture.
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