Vendaikkai Puli Kootu

From the cuisine of Tamil Nadu

VENDAIKKAI PULI KOOTU

Servines : 3 to 4 | Prep time : 15 minutes

Cooking time : 20 minutes | Course : Main

Okra / Lady's fingers / Behndi / Vendakkai Puli Kootu is one of the traditional stew with lentil-vegetable combo with a tangy note maximised with love!

INGREDIENTS

• Lady's finger, half inch slices - 1 cup
• Red gram (Tuvar dal) - 2 Tbsp
• Coconut, grated - 2 Tbsp
• Red chillies - 1 to 3, depending on spice necessity
• Sesame oil - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Small onions, roughly chopped - 2 Tbsp
• Curry leaves - 10 to 15
• Tamarind paste - 1/4 cup
• myleafy Salem KOOTU MASALA - 2 tsp
• Jaggery (optional, but recommended) - 1/2 tsp
• Salt as required
• Heap of love!

METHOD

Step 1 : Pre-cook

Cook red gram with 1/2 cup of water until it turns mushy. Shallow fry the Lady's finger slices in sesame oil, upon a medium flame until the turn evenly brown and keep aside.

Step 2 : Grind

Grind coconut with water to make a coarse (70 to 80%) paste, along with red chillies to elevate the spice level.

Step 3 : Sauté & Cook

Pre-heat a separate pan, add sesame oil. Splutter the mustard seeds. Sauté the onions, curry leaves until onions turn translucent. Add the tamarind paste followed by myleafy Salem KOOTU MASALA. Mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add some water if the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Now add the coconut paste, followed by salt and jaggery. Allow it to cook for a minute and serve some hot rice topped with ghee!

Note: Do not cook the curry for more than a minute, after adding coconut paste. Red gram can be replaced with peeled green gram. Tempering with coconut oil instead of sesame oil aives an extra punch to the dish.

This dish tastes best if made in a Venkala Chatti!

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