Poricha kootu recipe with step by step pics. Poricha kootu is a lentil and veggie based dish from the South Indian cuisine. It makes for a comforting and nutritious meal when paired with steamed rice. A vegan dish.
In Tamil language the word poricha means fried and kootu means a mix or mixture. Poricha kootu is made by frying or roasting urad dal (black gram) and red chilies. Black pepper is also added. Its basically a mix of cooked lentils, veggies and ground spices+coconut paste.
At times I make kootu with some veggies. I have already shared Cabbage kootu before. In this recipe I have used ash gourd aka white pumpkin. Thus this recipe is also called as vellai poosanikai kootu in Tamil.
Apart from white pumpkin, mixed veggies or vegetables like snake gourd, pumpkin, chow chow, green leafy vegetables, drumsticks, green beans, brinjal can be added. This poosanikai kootu recipe is a no onion no garlic recipe.
Usually a kootu is more thick than a Sambar. You can also call kootu as vegetable dal recipe. In this recipe I have used moong dal. You can even use arhar dal (tuvar dal).
Whenever I make recipes where cooked dal is used, I cook both dal and rice in a pressure cooker together most of the times. When I have lot of time, I cook dal separately. In this post I have cooked both moong dal and rice in a pressure cooker together.
This recipe of poricha kootu is spicy. To reduce the spiciness and heat, add less dry red chilies and black pepper.
Poosanikai kootu is best served with steamed rice.
How to make Poricha Kootu
A) roasting and making ground paste:
1. Heat a small pan. Keep the heat to a low and add 2 teaspoons urad dal.
2. Stirring often sauté urad dal till the lentils become light golden and aromatic. However take care not to burn them.
3. Add 1 to 2 byadagi chilies or Kashmiri red chilies (halved and seeds removed). For less spiciness you can use add 1 dry red chili.
4. Stirring often for some seconds roast till the red chilies change color. Switch off the heat. Keep the roasted urad dal and red chilies in a separate plate and let them cool.
6. In a small grinder jar, add the roasted urad dal and red chilies. Also add ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. For a less spicy taste you can add ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
7. Also add ¼ cup fresh grated coconut.
8. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
B) cooking dal
9. Rinse ⅓ cup moong dal a couple of times in fresh water. Drain the water well and add the lentils in a bowl or small pan which we will place inside a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker.
Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 cup water to the lentils.
10. Cover the pan or bowl with a lid. In the cooker at the bottom, in another pan, I have kept rice to be cooked. Also add 1.5 cups water in the pressure cooker.
If you are cooking moong dal in a pot, then add 2 cups water.
11. Pressure cook on medium heat for 6 to 7 whistles or 9 to 10 minutes. The rice I have used is hand pounded rice (pre-soaked for 30 minutes) which takes a long time to cook. If using white rice, then cook the rice and dal separately.
12. When the pressure settles down on its own, then only open the lid and with the help of tongs and remove the bowl carefully. Mash the cooked dal and keep aside.
Making Poosanikai kootu
13. When the dal is getting pressure cooked, you can cook the ash gourd. In a separate pan or pot, take 1.5 cups peeled and chopped ash gourd.
14. Add ½ cup water.
15. Cover the pan and on a medium-low heat cook the ash gourd.
16. In between do check. If the water has evaporated, then you can add some more water and continue to cover and cook.
17. Simmer ash gourd for 14 to 15 minutes or till they are tender and cooked.
18. Lower the heat or you can switch off the flame. Add the mashed dal and the ground paste.
19. Also add salt as per taste.
20. Add ½ to ¾ cup water or as required. The amount of water can be added as per the consistency you want. ½ cup water gives a thick consistency.
21. Stir and mix very well.
22. Simmer on a low heat till the kootu comes to a gentle boil. do stir while cooking, so that the moong lentils do not stick to the base of the pan. Once the ash gourd kootu comes to a boil, then switch off the heat and cover the pan.
Tempering for poosanikai kootu
23. Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
24. Keep the heat to a low. Then add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
25. Add ½ teaspoon urad dal.
26. Fry till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden. Instead of coconut oil, you can also use cold pressed sesame oil (gingelly oil) or peanut or sunflower oil.
27. Then add 10 to 12 curry leaves and one generous pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir and then switch off the heat.
28. Pour the tempered ingredients in the vellai poosanikai kootu.
29. Cover the pan for 5 minutes so that the tempering flavors infuse in the poosanikai kootu.
30. Serve white pumpkin kootu with steamed rice. While serving you can also add a few chopped coriander leaves as a garnish.
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Poosanikai Kootu | Poricha Kootu
Ingredients
for roasting and grinding
- 2 teaspoons urad dal (husked and split black gram)
- 1 to 2 byadagi chilies or kashmiri red chilies (broken and seeds removed)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (for less spiciness add ¼ teaspoon black pepper)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ cup fresh grated coconut
- ¼ to ⅓ cup water for grinding
for cooking dal
- ⅓ cup moong dal
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 cup water added in moong dal
- 1.5 cups water added in pressure cooker
for cooking ash gourd
- 1.5 cups chopped ash gourd
- ½ cup water
other ingredients
- salt as required
- ½ to ¾ cup water to be added later
for tempering poosanikai kootu
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
Instructions
roasting and making ground paste
- Heat a small pan and add 2 teaspoons urad dal.
- Stirring often sauté urad dal till the lentils become light golden and aromatic. Do not burn them.
- Add 1 to 2 byadagi chilies or kashmiri red chilies (halved and seeds removed). For less spiciness you can add 1 dry red chili.
- Stirring often for some seconds roast till the red chilies change color. Switch off flame. Keep the roasted urad dal and red chilies in a separate plate and let them cool.
- In a small grinder jar, add the roasted urad dal and red chilies.
- Also add ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and ¼ cup grated coconut. For less spicy taste you can add ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
cooking lentils
- Rinse ⅓ cup moong dal a couple of times in water. Drain well and add the lentils in a bowl or small pan which we will place inside a 3 litre pressure cooker. Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 cup water to the lentils.
- Cover the pan with a lid. Also add 1.5 cups water in the pressure cooker. If cooking moong dal in a pot, then add 2 cups water.
- Pressure cook on medium flame for 6 to 7 whistles or 9 to 10 minutes. The rice I have used is hand pounded rice (pre-soaked for 30 minutes) which takes a long time to cook. If using white rice, then cook the rice and dal separately.
- When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and with the help of tongs remove the bowl. Mash the dal and keep aside.
making poricha kootu
- In a separate pan or pot, take 1.5 cups chopped ash gourd and ½ cup water.
- Cover the pan and on a medium-low flame cook the ash gourd.
- In between do check. If the water has evaporated, then you can add some more water and continue to cover and cook.
- Simmer ash gourd for 14 to 15 minutes or till they are tender and cooked.
- Lower the flame or you can switch off the flame. Add the mashed dal and the ground paste.
- Also add salt as per taste.
- Add ½ to ¾ cup water or as required. The amount of water can be added as per consistency you want. ½ cup water gives a thick consistency. Mix very well.
- Simmer on a low flame till the kootu comes to a gentle boil. Do stir while cooking, so that the moong lentils do not stick to the base of the pan. Then switch off the flame and cover the pan.
tempering for poosanikai kootu
- Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil.
- Keep the flame to a low. Then add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon urad dal.
- Fry till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden. Instead of coconut oil, you can also use sesame oil (gingelly oil) or peanut oil or sunflower oil.
- Then add 10 to 12 curry leaves and one generous pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir and then switch off the flame.
- Pour the tempered ingredients in the vellai poosanikai kootu.
- Cover the pan for 5 minutes so that the tempering flavours infuse in the poosanikai kootu.
- Serve white pumpkin kootu with steamed rice. You can also add a few chopped coriander leaves as a garnish while serving.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Poosanikai Kootu post from the archives, originally published in February 2018 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
