Though we all like variety of food ..love eating in restaurants…end of the day if you ask anyone,nothing can beat simple home cooked food.Today’s post ” Cabbage Kootu ” is one such comforting dish made from cabbage and lentils,that is very popular in South India…especially in Tamilnadu. This mildly spiced cabbage curry tastes perfect with hot rice accompanied with some spicy chutney.
Cabbage is one such vegetable that is most under rated because of its smell. But thankfully in my home every one likes it be it in their noodles,sandwich,parthas ,cabbage dosa ,simple stir frys,sambar or this cabbage kootu.This kootu is very simple yet elegant.I am sure people not from south India are wondering what kootu means ? Kootu is basically a thick curry of lentils and vegetables.There are many versions of making kootu .Karnataka version is entirely different which you can find HERE .But for today it’s brahmin style Tamilnadu style Cabbage Kootu that has no onion -garlic  in it,which i learnt from mom.The best thing that i like in this dish is the crunchy chana dal that we get in between.I don’t like it being mushy for this dish.Do try this easy and healthy dish ..i am sure youl like it…
CABBAGE KOOTU
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 cups cabbage, finely chopped
- 1 small cup Bengal Gram channa dal
- 2 Green Chillies, - slit length wise
- 1/2 Lemon
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Haldi
- optional Coriander leaves
- to taste Salt
For Grinding
- 1 small cup coconut, Grated
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds Jeera
- 1 tbsp Rice, ( for thickening )
- 3 - 6 Green Chillies, depending on spice level
For Tempering
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds Jeera
- 1 - 2 Red Chilli, broken to pieces
- few Curry Leaves, -
Instructions
- Wash and soak channa dal for about 15-30 min.
- Add soaked channa dal, chopped cabbage, slited green chillies ,turmeric powder and some water to a cooker.Cook for 2 whistles and switch off the stove.
- Grind the ingredients mentioned under "for grinding" to a fine paste adding little water .Keep it aside.
- Once the cooker cools, open the lid. Transfer the cooked cabbage and dal to a vessel.
- Add ground masala paste and salt to it. Add some water based on your desired consistency.Keep it on stove for boil. Let it boil for 3-4 mins.Switch off .Squeeze lemon and add chopped coriander leaves.
- Now heat oil in kadai and temper with the ingredients mentioned and add it to the cabbage kootu and stir well.
- That's it simple cabbage kootu is ready to serve. Enjoy it with hot rice / roti .
Notes
- Instead of cabbage you can use spinach  / snake gourd / chayote squash / any other veggies..
- If you wish you can add little onion / ginger while grinding.
- Instead of chana dal you can use moong dal or tuvar dal.
18 Comments
Kurinji
June 18, 2014 at 10:25 amyummy kootu and beautiful clicks…
Linsy Patel
June 18, 2014 at 11:16 amLovely vibrant colors , looks very tempting
Priya Shiva
June 18, 2014 at 11:20 amDelicious! Home food comfort food..
nandoos Kitchen
June 18, 2014 at 11:27 amyummy kootu. We also make this kootu in the same way without lemon. Will try your version next time.
Chitra
June 18, 2014 at 12:24 pmLovely.bowl looks cute.where did u get it ?
Sony P
June 18, 2014 at 1:50 pmLovely color, looks delicious cabbage curry !!
Vibha Sp
June 18, 2014 at 1:51 pmwow so easy to make , lukng invitng , nice clicks lukng so bright , kootu i never preprd , but v do same grindng fr few dishes
Indrani
June 18, 2014 at 3:50 pmSo many steps in between, great item. Well presented.
Meena Kumar
June 18, 2014 at 4:02 pmYummy looking cabbage kootu I should try this some time.I think Keralites too make a variation of this.
Swathi Iyer
June 18, 2014 at 5:04 pmcabbage kootu curry looks delicious lovely addition of lemon in there.
Maha Gadde
June 19, 2014 at 1:33 amhealthy and comforting dish fr lunch with rice.
Devi Annamalai
June 19, 2014 at 1:27 pmI am going to try this dish for sure. Looks yummy.
Nalini Somayaji
June 19, 2014 at 2:23 pmCabbage kootu looks great Smitha Kalluraya…
Radha Natarajan
June 20, 2014 at 3:32 pmabsolutely the way we make it , I also make it with moong dallovely post Smitha
Priya Suresh
June 20, 2014 at 3:57 pmSuch a comforting food, can survive many days with it.
Anonymous
April 21, 2015 at 10:12 amThanks Smitha! I’m alone in abroad. I could cook something on my own and survive here with the help of such articles. Keep doing this great work. ..
Unknown
February 2, 2016 at 1:20 amHello,This is a great dish and we loved it.Its a simple and authentic receipe.Just followed the steps and it came out well and yummy.I also added snake guard and carrot to the receipe and it was really yummy.Thanks for the receipe
Punam
August 25, 2018 at 8:35 pmMost of my childhood memory includes getting yelled at by my mother, punampaul.com and eat your veggies; but I used to pay no heed to it. However as time passes, most of us come around to eating vegetables as we are aware of the countless benefits they have for our health.
Cabbage is especially one of the world’s most nutrient dense vegetables readily available for us to enjoy, rich in essential vitamins such as C, B6, K, saturated fat, thiammin, calcium, iron, magnesium phosphorus and a good source of dietary fibers.
But I never liked any cabbage recipe other than in noodles.
This cabbage recipe when I tried at home was not really appreciated by my family but it was really yummy too. Thanks for sharing this delicious preparation.