Kootanchoru Recipe | Traditional Village Style கூட்டாஞ்சோறு | Tirunelveli Kootanchoru Recipe

Kootanchoru / கூட்டாஞ்சோறு is a traditional south indian village dish. It is named as kootanchoru because of two reasons. The first and the major reason is it is made with mixed vegetables. And the second one is we cook it together. Many friends or family members join together and bring money to buy things or ingredients to cook. One chop the vegetables, one cook it and the other grind the masalas. Finally people sit together to eat and have a fun filled day. Even now it is followed in our tirunelveli villages. It is also cooked in home. My amma makes the best kootanchoru. She used to make this for school lunchboxes during my childhood days and now anytime on request.

Soon, I will post picture of people cooking this delicious dish and having fun. Each ingredients like green chilli, tamarind and ground masalas adds taste to the dish. Here goes the recipe for authentic kootanchoru...

Kootanchoru

Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Rice Varieties

Prep Time:  10 mins | Cooking Time: 40 mins | Serves:  4

Ingredients:

Rice - 1.5 cup

Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Water - 8 to 10 cups

Big onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Green chilli - 4

Potato - 1

Drumstick - 1

Brinjal - 1

Carrot - 1/4

Beans - 2

Raw mango - 2 tblspn, optional

Pumpkin - 1/4 cup, optional

Tamarind - small lemon sized

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Sambar powder - 2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Coriander leaves - a sprig

Curry leaves - a sprig

To grind:

Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup

Small onion- 6 to 8

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 4 or 5

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Small Onion - 3

Curry leaves - a sprig

Coconut oil - 2 tblspn

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, take rice and toor dal. Wash it until a clear water is seen.

Cut the potatoes, raw mango into small cubes and cut the brinjal, drumstick lengthwise. Cut carrot into small circles and beans into 2 inch pieces. Slit the green chilli and thinly slice the big onion.

Bring water to boil in a large vessel. Once it starts to boil, add the washed rice and toor dal. Cook for 5 minutes.

Then, add the vegetables, tomato, sliced big onion, turmeric, curr leaves and coriander leaves. Let it cook for few minutes. Then add salt to taste.

When rice is 3/4th cooked, add the tamarind extract and sambar powder.

Grind coconut, red chilli, cumin and small onion into a coarse paste. Make sure the rice is almost cooked at this stage. Once this masala will start to stick to the bottom of the vessel.

Once the raw smell of the coconut onion masala is gone, remove from the flame.

In a pan, heat little oil, add in mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add in chopped small onion and curry leaves. Once onion begins to brown, switch off the flame and pour this seasoning to the cooked rice.

Serve hot with onion raita.

Note:

• Always use any big rice or idli rice to make this dish.
• Always add slitted green chillies for a unique taste. Never skip.
• Adjust the chillies, tamarind to your taste. This dish taste good when it has perfect sourness and spiciness.
• If you are adding raw mango, reduce the tamarind.
• It should be little runny consistency because once cooled the rice will become sticky and hard.
• Avoid pressure cooker for making kootanchoru as it will not be tasty compared to pot method.
• You can add some drumstick leaves to this dish.

Pictorial:

Keep all your ingredients ready

Take rice and dal in a vessel and wash it in water till a clear water is seen(Always use any big rice or idli rice for making kootanchoru. Small rice will not give much taste for this dish)

Take chopped vegetables in a vessel and keep it ready(Cut the potatoes, raw mango into small cubes and cut the brinjal, drumstick lengthwise. Cut carrot into small circles and beans into 2 inch pieces. Slit the green chilli and thinly slice the big onion.)

In a large vessel, bring 8 to 10 cups of  water to boil

Once water starts to boil, add in washed rice and dal

After 5 minutes, add the chopped vegetables

Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes

Add in roughly chopped tomato

sliced onion goes in immediately

Turmeric powder is added

Coriander and curry leaves are added

Mix everything

Add salt to taste

Check if rice is 3/4th cooked

Soak small ball sized tamarind in water and extract its juice. Add the extracted juice into the rice

Now, add the sambar powder to the rice

Meanwhile, grind onion, grated coconut, cumin and red chilli into a coarse paste without adding water

When the rice is almost cooked, add the ground masala into the rice. This masala gives a nice taste to the rice. Once this masala is added it will start to stick in the bottom of the vessel.

Check for salt, sourness and spiciness. Adjust accordingly with tamarind extract, chilli powder and salt

Once rice is cooked and raw smell of coconut masala is gone, remove from flame

Heat little coconut oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When it begins to crackle, add in finely chopped small onion and curry leaves. When onion begins to brown, switch off the flame.

Pour this seasoning to the cooked rice. Coconut masala and this seasoning really adds a very good flavour to the dish. It should be little runny because once cooled it will become hard.

Kootanchoru Ready!