Beetroot Kootu recipe, Kootu is a delicious South Indian dish made with a vegetable cooked in tamarind juice and a spice mix. Best accompanied with roasted papad. With the aroma spreading across the house, we get to know the taste of it.
Beetroot kootu recipe is particularly made with beetroot. I like the color of the vegetable and the texture of the dish while it is blended with the stew.
Everyone in my home likes it very much. It is a slow cooking dish which absorbs the flavours only if we cook it in low flame. For that we need to have patience, Firstly we need to prepare kootu masala afresh. Some try to keep the powder readily available but I don’t like the taste. My mother always prepare the spice mix afresh and make kootu.
My mother is the expert in making such dishes, she adds peanuts to it while boiling. I learned from her only. Though my MIL and other aunts also prepare it but the taste and texture I learned from mom only.
During my childhood days Beetroot kootu is a must to have at least once in a week. Particularly on a rainy Sundays, while she prepares it, my elder brother takes the duty of frying papad and fryums. Beetroot kootu is best accompanied with roasted or fried papadams. In my place, my husband and in-laws like it without peanuts, so I too have to stopped. So they are not there in the ingredients list. If you want to give it a try you can add them while boiling the kootu.
Key Ingredients in beetroot kootu recipe:
- Beetroot: Peel and cut the vegetable into cubes. We need to pressure cook them.
- Dal: Soak toor dal for half an hour to cook it softly.
- Tamarind Juice: soak tamarind for half an hour and extract thick juice.
- Kootu Masala: We need to prepare kootu masala. Fry chana dal, urad dal, dry coconut and red chillis. Make a smooth paste to get the kootu masala.
- Tadka: Temper the kootu with simple tadka, curry leaves and hing to get nice flavor.
Procedure of beetroot kootu recipe:
- Soak tamarind in water and extract juice out of it.
- Peel and cut into cubes beetroot. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
- Soak toor dal and pressure cook for three whistles.
- Fry chana dal, urad dal, red chillis and dry coconut till the dals turn golden yellow.
- Cool them and blend them till soft and smooth while adding water little by little.
- In a thick bottom pan, add tadka, tamarind juice, cooked beetroot pieces along with salt, turmeric powder and kootu masala. Mix all of them well.
- Allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Add the cooked dal too.
- On a low flame let it cook for another 10 to 15 minutes stirring on a regular intervals.
Beetroot Kootu Recipe | How to make Beetroot Kootu
Ingredients
- 1 Big Beetroot
- 1/2 Cup Yellow Lentil or Toor Dal
- 1/2 Cup Tamarind Juice
- Salt to taste
- 5 to 7 Curry Leaves
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 Red Chillies
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
Kootu Masala
- 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
- 1 tbsp Chana Dal
- 1/2 tbsp Urad Dal
- 5 to 7 Red Chillis
- 1 tbsp Dry Coconut
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp Oil
Instructions
- Soak 1 tablespoon tamarind in water and extract juice out of it. Keep it aside.
- Peel and cut into cubes beetroot.
- Peel and cut beetroot into cubes.
- Soak tamarind and toor dal separately.
- Pressure cook toor dal for 3 whistles.
- Pressure cook beetroot also for 4 whistles.
- Once done, mash the dal and drain excess water from beetroot pieces. Keep aside.
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chilli pieces.
- When they start splutter add beetroot pieces, tamarind juice and some water.
- Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
- Allow it to boil for 5 minutes.
- Add the above made kootu masala and allow it to boil.
- Add cooked dal and let it boil it for 15 more minutes or till the aroma comes up.
- Lastly add a pinch of asafoetida and let the kootu absorb the flavor.
- Serve beetroot kootu with hot piping rice and ghee.
Kootu Masala Preparation:
- Heat oil in a pan, add coriander seeds, chana dal and urad dal.
- Fry them in low flame till the dals started changing color.
- Add red chillis and fry them till they bulge.
- Before switching off the flame add dry coconut and saute it well.
- Keep them aside to cool.
- Once cooled completely add all the ingredients into a blender jar.
- Blend them to make smooth paste by adding water little by little.