Simple Tamil Nadu style poricha kootu / gravy prepared with cauliflower, green peas, moong dal, and freshly roasted and ground spices along with coconut. Learn how to make this delicious cauliflower poricha kootu recipe with detailed step-wise pictures.
Cauliflower is not meant only for roasts, pakodas, kurmas, and manchurians. You can very well make a simple and comforting kootu with it, which I am sharing today. Serve it with rice or roti; this cauliflower kootu perfectly pairs with many dishes.
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Poricha kootu
I have shared quite a few kootu recipes on my blog, but this is my first poricha kootu recipe. Are you wondering what the difference is? Typically for the regular kootu, we grind coconut, cumin seeds, and green or dried chilies, add them to the cooked veggies and lentils, and prepare the kootu. But for poricha kootu, we usually roast the ingredients and then grind them. That’s how we differentiate in our household. :-)
Like every other simple recipe, you can find a zillion variations of this poricha kootu recipe also. In fact, every family will have their version. There is another version of poricha kootu where we include urad dal in the kootu masala. When I make poricha kootu with ashgourd or snake gourd, I typically include urad dal, and I will soon share that version as well.
Now let’s get straight into the ingredients and recipe details.
Ingredients required
The ingredient list might sound lengthy but trust me; the recipe is pretty straightforward. It’s a no-onion no-garlic kootu recipe perfect for auspicious and festival days.
Moong dal: We usually use moong or chana dal for kootu. For this recipe, I went with moong dal.
Cauliflower and Green Peas: The key ingredient here is cauliflower. Green peas are optional. Instead of green peas, you can use any other cooked beans of your choice. Make sure to cut the florets evenly. I always blanch my cauliflower, and I did the same for this kootu too.
For the kootu masala: I used cumin seeds, whole peppercorns, dried red chilies, asafoetida, and unsweetened desiccated coconut. I roasted them all together and blended them into a smooth paste.
Note – Typically, we use fresh/frozen coconut for the kootu. But I went with dry desiccated coconut. You can always use fresh coconut, and it’s not mandatory to roast the fresh coconut but nothing wrong with roasting it.
To temper: I always recommend coconut oil for tempering, especially for kootu. I used cumin seeds for the masala, so I prefer mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal for tempering.
Apart from these, we also use some curry leaves, cilantro, salt, and turmeric.
Dietary specifications & Serving suggestions
By nature, this kootu is vegan and nut-free. To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free asafoetida or skip it.
A Tamil Nadu thali is incomplete without kootu. You can always make kootu and serve it as a part of your thali along with sambar, rasam, and poriyal. You can also serve kootu with plain steamed rice or roti.
Refrigerating and reheating the kootu
The cauliflower kootu stays well for up to 3 days when refrigerated. When reheating, make sure to reheat just the required quantity. Do not reheat the entire kootu and refrigerate the leftovers. This reduces the shelf life. It’s a general rule that I follow for all the dishes. I reheat only the required quantity.
Cauliflower poricha kootu recipe with step-wise pictures
Cook the moong dal:
- Rinse the moong dal and add it to a small pressure cooker insert- pan/small vessel. For ¼ cup of moong dal, I added ¾ cup of water and ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder.
- Pressure cook for three whistles, let the pressure subside naturally, and mash the dal and set it aside. Check recipe notes for other options.
Blanch the cauliflower:
- Bring 1.5 liters of water to a rolling boil and turn off the heat. Add ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder and ½ tsp of salt and mix well. Add the cauliflower florets and let them sit for 5 minutes in hot water.
- After 5 minutes, drain the water and set aside the cauliflower.
Prepare the kootu masala:
- Add the cumin seeds, whole peppercorns, dried red chilies, asafoetida, and dry coconut in a small pan. (PS – I don’t roast them one by one. I roast them all together)
- Roast until the coconut turns light brown or for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Then grind it into a smooth paste by adding ⅓ to ½ cup of water.
Prepare the cauliflower kootu:
- Heat a saucepan and 2 tsps of coconut oil. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves also. Saute for 10 seconds.
- Now add the blanched cauliflower, salt, and ½ cup of water. Gently mix—cover and cook for 4 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, remove the lid, add the green peas and cook for 2 minutes.
- At this stage, add the ground masala, mashed moong dal, and gently mix.
- Bring the kootu to a gentle boil and add the cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Recipe notes
- You can cook the dal in Instant Pot. Check my instant pot chow chow kootu post or use frozen moong dal too—Thaw the frozen moong dal for this cauliflower kootu.
- Instant Pot version with frozen moong dal – Blanch the cauliflower, thaw the moong dal and prepare the kootu masala. Do the tempering in the inner pot and turn off the IP. Add the cauliflower, green peas, kootu masala, moong dal, and salt. Pressure cook for just one minute and release the pressure quickly. Gently mix and serve.
- Do not overcook the cauliflower. Make sure the florets are whole but soft and tender.
- Adjust the salt, pepper, and dried red chilies as per your preference.
- You can make similar poricha kootu with chow chow, ash gourd, broad beans, ridge gourd, snake gourd, cabbage, etc. The cooking time varies. Either steam it separately or cook it along with moong dal.
Explore other kootu recipes
I have over 15 plus kootu recipes on my blog. Some of the reader’s favorites are here. Also, don’t miss to check out my other cauliflower recipes.
Loved this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Green Peas Poricha Kootu | Poricha Kootu Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- Saucepan or kadai
- Mixer jar or coffee grinder
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
- ¼ cup moong dal
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder divided
- 2 liter water divided (1.5 liters for blanching, ¾ cup for moong dal, ½ cup to cook cauliflower and ½ cup to grind the masala)
- 350 grams cauliflower florets
- ½ cup green peas
- 1.5 tsp salt divided
To roast and grind
- ½ tsp whole peppercorns
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
To temper
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp urad dal
- ½ tsp chana dal
- 5 curry leaves
- 1 tbsp cilantro to garnish
Instructions
Cook the moong dal:
- Rinse the moong dal and add it to a small pressure cooker insert- pan/small vessel. For ¼ cup of moong dal, I added ¾ cup of water and ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder.
- Pressure cook for three whistles, let the pressure subside naturally, and mash the dal and set it aside. Check recipe notes for other options.
Blanch the cauliflower:
- Bring 1.5 liters of water to a rolling boil and turn off the heat. Add ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder and ½ tsp of salt and mix well. Add the cauliflower florets and let them sit for 5 minutes in hot water.
- After 5 minutes, drain the water and set aside the cauliflower.
Prepare the kootu masala:
- Add the cumin seeds, whole peppercorns, dried red chilies, asafoetida, and dry coconut in a small pan. (PS – I don’t roast them one by one. I roast them all together)
- Roast until the coconut turns light brown or for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Then grind it into a smooth paste by adding ⅓ to ½ cup of water.
Prepare the cauliflower kootu:
- Heat a saucepan and 2 tsps of coconut oil. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves also. Saute for 10 seconds.
- Now add the blanched cauliflower, salt, and ½ cup of water. Gently mix—cover and cook for 4 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, remove the lid, add the green peas and cook for 2 minutes.
- At this stage, add the ground masala, mashed moong dal, and gently mix.
- Bring the kootu to a gentle boil and add the cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Notes
- You can cook the dal in Instant Pot. Check my instant pot chow chow kootu post or use frozen moong dal too—Thaw the frozen moong dal for this cauliflower kootu.
- Instant Pot version with frozen moong dal – Blanch the cauliflower, thaw the moong dal and prepare the kootu masala. Do the tempering in the inner pot and turn off the IP. Add the cauliflower, green peas, kootu masala, moong dal, and salt. Pressure cook for just one minute and release the pressure quickly. Gently mix and serve.
- Do not overcook the cauliflower. Make sure the florets are whole but soft and tender.
- Adjust the salt, pepper, and dried red chilies as per your preference.
- You can make similar poricha kootu with chow chow, ash gourd, broad beans, ridge gourd, snake gourd, cabbage, etc. The cooking time varies. Either steam it separately or cook it along with moong dal.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
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