Kootanchoru or Kootanjoru

A recipe from Tirunelveli district.

Ingredients:
Jeeraga Chamba Rice - 1 cup
Tuvar Dal - 1/4 cup
Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
Drumsticks - 2 nos
Shallots (Sambar or small onions) - 6 nos
Onions - 2 nos
French Beans - 8 nos
Hyacinth Beans (Avaraikkai) - 6 nos
Carrot - 2 nos medium
Potato - 2 nos
Raw Banana - 1 no
Brinjal - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 1/2 cup
Dried Chillies - 12 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Corinder seeds - 2 tsp
Bengal Gram - 1 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafodeita powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafodeita piece - 1/2 inch
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Method:
Cut drumsticks into 3 inch pieces. Chop onions finely. Dice beans, brinjal, potaotes, carrot, hyacinth to reasonable size cubes.

In a frying pan add 1 tbsp of oil and when hot add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried chillies, 1/4 cup of curry leaves and asafodeita piece one by one and fry till bengal gram turns golden brown. Ensure it is not over fried. In the end add the grated coconut. When cool grind it to a very very fine paste.

Pressure cook rice and dal separately in pressure cooker. (Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder to the dal while cooking). Make 2 cups of thick tamarind water from the tamarind paste.

Boil 1 1/2 cups of water and add the chopped drumstick pieces. Remove the drumstick pieces from the water. In a shallow vessel add the remaining 3 tbsp of oil and when hot add the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add fenugreek seeds, asafodeita and saute for a while. Add the chopped onions and small onions and saute till they turn glassy. Add the all the other vegetables except drumstick and saute for a while. Add the tamarind water, salt, turmeric powder and reduce the flame to medium heat. Cook till the vegetables turn tender.

Mix the ground paste into the cooked dal and mix well and let it boil for about 3 to 4 mins till they blend thoroughly. Mash the cooked rice a bit and add it to the vessel little by little. Ensure that no lumps are formed. Keep mixing the ingredients in the vessel too. Add the drumsticks and the water that is used to cook it. Keep the flame in low and stir gently. If the mixed rice is thick add another 1/2 cup to 3/4th cups of water and stir till everything gets mixed thoroughly. Add more salt if needed.

This is similar to bisibela bath. But the taste slightly differs as the rice that is used is a different kind of rice. This is also one pot meal

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