Kerala Style Kootu Curry… made with Yam, Plantain and Black Chickpeas – A Sadya Delicacy…!
Kootu Curry is a traditional side dish served mostly for festivals & celebrations in Kerala, like Onam, Vishu, and marriages. Along with the endless curries served in a Sadya (traditional vegetarian feast of Kerala), Kootu Curry makes its presence unique by being the only curry which uses roasted coconut as a topping. The word kootu means ‘a mix or combination’, and the recipe is a mix of different vegetables and chickpeas simmered in a coconut cumin gravy, and later topped with browned/fried coconut.
The vegetables used for this dish differ from place to place in Kerala. It’s most common ingredients are Chena (yam), Kaya (raw plantain) and black/white chickpeas, but variants like Pumpkin and Ash gourd are also popular.
I must confess that this recipe is a coconut overload in various forms, be it fresh, oil, or fried. Its major highlight is the addition of fried coconut with curry leaves and dry red chilies, which adds a nice aroma and flavor to the dish. Kootu Curry is a non-spicy, lightly sweet, and a completely satisfying side dish; it pairs wonderfully with steamed rice and daal/lentil curry.
Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!
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- 1 cup kadala / black chickpeas
- 1½ cup water + more
- 1 medium sized raw plantain (cut into cubes)
- 1 cup yam (cubed)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ cup + ½ cup grated coconut
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp pepper powder
- 1 tbsp jaggery
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
- 2 dry red chilies
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- Coconut oil (as required)
- Salt (as required)
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Soak black chickpeas overnight. Pressure cook it with water and a pinch of salt for 3 whistles. Once cooled, drain the water and keep aside. Also set aside the cooked black chickpeas separately.
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Grind ½ cup grated coconut with cumin seeds to a coarse paste, keep aside.
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In a separate pan, add the above drained water, vegetables, turmeric powder, chili powder, & salt, and cook on a medium flame. Once it starts boiling, simmer it and cook until the veggies are soft, properly cooked, until the water dries out. Add more water if necessary.
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Lightly mash the cooked vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the cooked black chickpeas and the grinded coconut paste, mix well and continue cooking till the raw coconut smell subsides.
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Now add pepper powder and jaggery to the pan, mix well and check for the seasoning. Place the lid, cook for another 2-3 minutes, and then switch off the flame.
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To prepare the tempering / garnish, heat oil in a separate pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, dry red chilies and grated coconut. Roast the coconut until they turn golden brown.
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Pour this over the cooked chickpea veggies, mix well. Your Kootu Curry is ready, serve with rice and daal curry!
1. Pumpkin and Ash gourd can also be added as alternate vegetables while making Kootu Curry.
2. Using jaggery in this dish is completely optional as it’s specific to certain places in Kerala.
3. Coconut oil is ideal for all authentic Kerala recipes.
First time I hear about black chickpeas! Now I HAVE to find some and make this recipe!!!
Thank you Akhila!
Black chickpeas is very common in Indian cuisine….You can find them in nearby Indian or Asian grocery stores.
Hi Akhila ! Your kootu curry looks so delicious and tempting. I plan to make it soon and I have a small query regarding it – if using chana dal (kadala parippu ) to make the kootu curry, how much do we use and for how long do we soak it ?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Angela, I haven’t tried this recipe with chana dal before, as black chickpeas is the core ingredient of this dish. You can give it a shot but make sure not to overcook the dal as it can loose shape and get mashed. The same quantity of dal will do, but soaking for 3 – 4 hrs should be enough and pressure cook for only one whistle, or even better is to pan cook with which you can control it’s consistency.
Tried it and tasted fantastic. Addition of black Channa gives wonderful flavor.
Thank You so much Vinitha 🙂
Instead of the moru curry on top of rice, sambar would have made the picture would have made it more attractive ?
Kootu curry Looks good..!