Capsicum poricha kootu/ Capsicum kootu

     Capsicum lowers the blood pressure by breaking down cholesterol buildup. Kootu is good blend of vegetables and protein as it has higher lentil content than typical sambhar.

Serves up to 4 people
Preparation time:35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 green bell pepper/ capsicum
1 chopped onion 
1 tsp of sambhar powder
1/2 cup of toor dhal
1/2 cup of bengal gram dhal 
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1/4 tsp of mustard
pinch of asafoetida
1/4 tsp of urad dhal 
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required


For grinding:


1 tsp of black pepper     
1 red chillies
1 tsp of cumin seeds 


Preparation:

1.Pressure cook toor dhal and Bengal gram dhal with 1/4 tsp of turmeric and 3 cups of water.
2.Grind the cumin seeds, black pepper and red chilly in to a coarse powder.
3. Heat oil in the pan and add mustard, urad dhal and asafoetida. As the mustard crackles, add onion and capsicum. Saute for 2 minutes.
4.Add sambhar powder and salt. Close the lid. Capsicum cooks very fast. So once the vegetable is soft, add the cooked dhal and ground powder. Stir well.
5.Cook for another 5 minutes. Capsicum poricha kootu is ready. Serve with rice and ghee.

Red Chori dhal/ kootu

  Red chori dhal are starchy beans but rich in fiber. The fiber content in red chori dhal lowers blood cholesterol while offering  cardiovascular benefits.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup red chori dhal

1/4 kg red pumpkin

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tomato

oil as required

salt as required

Grinding:

1 large chopped onion

1/2  cup of grated  coconut

1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 red chilly

Seasoning:

1 sprig of curry leaves

1/4 tbsp mustard seeds

1 red chilly

Preparation:

1.Soak chori dhal for 5-6 hours. Add turmeric, salt and 2 cups of water to chori dhal and pressure cook with red pumpkin.
2.In a pan, add chopped tomatoes, red chilly powder and saute for 2-3 minutes.

3.Grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, red chilly, chopped onions with little water and make it into a smooth paste.

4.Add this paste to the tomatoes in the pan and cook till the raw smell disappears. Add the cooked dhal and cook for 5 more minutes in medium flame.

5.Add the seasoning to the chori dhal. Delicious chori dhal is ready.

6.Serve with rice and papad.

Chow chow kootu/ vegetable pear curry/ chayote dhal

  Chayote is lightly cooked to retain the crisp flavor. Raw chayote can be added to salads or salsas. Whether raw or cooked, chayote is a good source of amino acids and vitamin C. This kootu is enriched with coconut and spices.

Serves up to 3-4 people
Preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 chow chow
1 small onion 
4 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup of toor dhal
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp of urad dhal
1/2 tsp of mustard
1 dried  red chilly
1 sprig of curry leaves 


Grinding:

3 green chillies
2 tbsp of grated coconut
1 tbsp of cumin seeds


Preparation:

1.Pressure cook toor dhal with 1/4 tsp of turmeric and 2 cups of water. Grind the ingredients mentioned under grinding in to a coarse paste.
2. Chop the chow chow in to half inch cubes. Heat the oil in the skillet and add the seasoning. Once the mustard sputters, add chopped onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes. 
3.Add the chopped chow chow and saute well for 5 minutes. Add the remaining turmeric, cumin powder, coarse paste, salt and cooked toor dhal.
4.Close the lid and cook for 15 minutes. Once the vegetable is cooked, chow chow kootu is ready. Serve with rice.