Author Notes
Kootu or vegetable stews are an integral part of South Indian cuisine. Just about any vegetable, be it a root, shoot or fruit, bud, blossom or bean, doesn't matter, chances are that a South Indian has already made a kootu out of it. The kootu is a low maintenance recipe, vegetable of choice, boiled with a pinch of turmeric, thickened with either a paste of coconut, chile & cumin or cooked & mushed up dal. A shot of sizzling tadka (with mustard, Urad dal, a single arbol chile, a pinch of asafetida and Curry leaves) and voila, a nutritious stew, all set to be served up with steaming hot plain rice.
The preferred dal for kootu is usually tuvar (pigeon peas) or mung, but this particular recipe calls for toasted split chana dal (the smaller version of the garbanzo bean/ kabuli chana). Toasting the dal brings out a nutty aroma that complements the assertive aroma of the fried curry leaves. The soft mellow turnips balances these assertive flavors with their mild sweetness. I first tasted this dish at Chennais flagship South Indian restaurant 'Dakshin' at the Park Sheraton Hotel, and have been making it rather regularly ever since. —Panfusine
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Ingredients
- Turnip stew
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2 cups peeled and cubed white turnips (~ 8 small turnips)
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1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
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1 cup split garbanzo (chana dal)
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1 - 2 green chiles, slit (as per your personal taste)
- Tempering
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2 tablespoons Oil
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1 teaspoon Black mustard seeds
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1 teaspoon Split Urad dal
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1 pinch
Asafetida powder
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1 sprig curry leaves, torn
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1 red arbol chile
Directions
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Toast the chana dal until it turns a light golden color, Rinse in adequate quantities of water, combine with 2 cups of water and 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric and cook till soft in a pressure cooker (about 7-8 whistles for a traditional Indian cooker). Allow the cooker to cool, open the lid, and mash to a smooth paste using the back of a spoon or an immersion blender.
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Add the turnips to just enough water to submerge them, along with the remaining turmeric and chiles. Bring to a boil. Add salt, lower the heat and cook until the turnips are fork tender. Add the mashed dal, taste for salt and simmer until the flavors combine (~ 10 minutes on a low flame).
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In a cast iron pan heat the oil until it sizzles. Add the mustard, Urad dal and Arbol chile. Once the mustard sputters and the Urad dal turns golden, lower the heat and add the asafetida and torn curry leaves. Allow the leaves to curl and fry up lightly and then pour the entire contents of the cast iron pan into the stew. give it a good stir, simmer for about 5 more minutes. cover and allow to cool slightly before serving with steamed rice.
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