Sodhi Kuzhambu | Vegan Stew with Potatoes and Moringa Pods

Sodhi Kuzhambu – Rich and creamy vegan stew with the goodness of coconut milk, potatoes, and moringa pods prepared in the Instant Pot. Learn how to make this traditional Tirunelveli sodhi kuzhambu or the vegan stew potatoes and moringa pods/drumsticks with a detailed video.

I am back with another South Indian vegetarian recipe from Tirunelveli( Popular City in the South Indian State of TamilNadu). It is the sodhi or the sodhi kuzhambu or the mappillai sodhi. Mappillai in Tamil means son-in-law or groom. What I learned is that traditionally this dish is a part of the wedding feast prepared by the brides family when the groom visits them for the first time. Hence the name mappillai sodhi.

I tried the recipe at my friend’s place during my college days. But I got this recipe from our friend Srini who is a chef and a successful restaurateur. It is a staple recipe in our household, and you can serve this with rice, rice noodles, and tiffin items as well.

Sodhi & Sodhi Preparation:

Sodhi is a vegan stew where we cook the potatoes and moringa pods or drumsticks in coconut milk, and we thickened with split yellow mung beans. The additional flavor comes from green chili, shallots, ginger, and garlic. We don’t need any separate spices, and also we don’t need to do any tempering.

What if I can’t source moringa pods?

I usually get my drumsticks from the Indian grocery store. You can find frozen ones year around. I always have the frozen one in stock as I use them for my sambar too. But if you can’t source drumsticks/moringa pods, you can use beans or carrots or a combination of both instead of the drumsticks.

What if I don’t have stackable pans?

You can make this stew, without stackable pans. As I mentioned on chayote squash gravy, cooking with stackable containers is entirely a personal preference. I prefer this PIP method as I can mash the mung dal nicely.

If you don’t have the stackable pans, cook the mung dal and the vegetables together with ½ cup of water and ½ cup of thin or the diluted coconut milk for 4 minutes and release the pressure quickly after five minutes. While mashing, make sure that you are not mashing the potatoes and drumsticks thoroughly.

Now without any further ado, here is the sodhi kuzhambu recipe

How to Make Sodhi Kuzhambu-

Ingredients:

• Cubed Potatoes – 1 cup
• Chopped Drumsticks – 7 pieces
• Coconut Milk – 2 tbsps + ⅔ cup
• Water – ½ cup + ½ cup + 1.5 cup to add in the Instant Pot
• Split Yellow Mung Beans – 3tbsps
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Shallots | Pearl Onions – 5, finely chopped
• Garlic Cloves -2, finely chopped
• Ginger – 1-inch
• Cilantro – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
• Green chilies – 2
• Kosher Salt – 2 tsp

Prep – Work:

• Wash and soak the moong dal for 15 minutes
• Grind the green chili and the salt together without adding any water.
• Mix 2 tbsp of coconut milk with ½ cup of water to make the thin coconut milk.

Stove-Top Version:

• Pressure cook the moong dal by adding ½ cup of water and mash it well.
• Heat the kadai and add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add the shallots, garlic, and ginger and sauté it for 2-3 minutes till they are translucent.
• Now add the ground chili paste and let it cook for a minute.
• Then add the chopped potatoes and drumsticks and the diluted coconut milk.
• Cover and cook till the vegetables are soft.
• Now add the mashed split yellow mung beans and remaining ⅔ cup coconut milk and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes in low flame. Then turn off the heat.
• Finally, add the chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice.

Instant Pot Version:

• Add the chopped vegetables and thin coconut milk in one of the stackable pans, and add the split yellow mung beans and ½ cup of water in the other pan.
• Place one stackable pan on top of the other. Close the stackable pan lids (if you have) and place them on the interlocking handle. Pour 1 and ½ cups of water in the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Place the trivet in the inner pot followed by the stackable pan with the vegetables and lentils.
• Close the lid and make sure the vent is in the sealed position. Make sure the vent is in the sealed position and select “manual” and set the time to 4 minutes on high pressure. When the cook is complete, wait for five minutes and release the pressure quickly.
• Carefully open the lid and take the stackable pans out. Mash the mung dal.
• Drain the water from the Instant Pot and wipe it dry. Now set the Instant Pot in the saute mode and wait till the display shows “HOT.”
• Now add the oil and after 30 seconds add the shallots, garlic, and ginger.
• Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the green chili paste and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the mashed split yellow mung beans and the cooked vegetable along with the coconut milk. Simmer this for two minutes.
• Now add the ⅔ cup of coconut milk and mix well. Simmer this mix for another two minutes and press the cancel button.
• Add the chopped cilantro and serve it hot with rice or any tiffin item.

Recipe Notes:

• You can include vegetables like carrot and beans if you are unable to source drumsticks.
• Adjust the spices according to your preference.

📖 Recipe

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Sodhi Kuzhambu | Vegan Stew with Potatoes and Moringa Pods

Sodhi Kuzhambu - Rich and creamy vegan stew with the goodness of coconut milk, potatoes, and moringa pods prepared in Instant Pot.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: TamilNadu

Servings: 4

Calories: 216kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup Potatoes approx 4 small potatoes, Cubed
• ▢ 1 Drumstick / Moringa Pod approx 7 pieces when cut
• ▢ ⅔ cup Coconut Milk
• ▢ 2 tbsp Coconut Milk
• ▢ 2.5 cups Water ½ cup + ½ cup + 1.5 cup to add in the Instant Pot
• ▢ 3 tbsps Split Yellow Mung Beans
• ▢ 1 tbsp Oil
• ▢ 5 Shallots | Pearl Onions finely chopped
• ▢ 2 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
• ▢ 1 inch Ginger
• ▢ 1 tbsp Cilantro finely chopped
• ▢ 2 Green chilies
• ▢ 2 tsp Kosher Salt

Instructions

Prep - Work:

• Wash and soak the moong dal for 15 minutes
• Grind the green chili and the salt together without adding any water.
• Mix 2 tbsp of coconut milk with ½ cup of water to make the thin coconut milk.

Stove-Top Version:

• Pressure cook the moong dal by adding ½ cup of water and mash it well.
• Heat the kadai and add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add the shallots, garlic, and ginger and sauté it for 2-3 minutes till they are translucent.
• Now add the ground chili paste and let it cook for a minute.
• Then add the chopped potatoes and drumsticks and the diluted coconut milk.
• Cover and cook till the vegetables are soft.
• Now add the mashed split yellow mung beans and remaining ⅔ cup coconut milk and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes in low flame. Then turn off the heat.
• Finally, add the chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice.

Instant Pot Version:

• Add the chopped vegetables and thin coconut milk in one of the stackable pans, and add the split yellow mung beans and ½ cup of water in the other pan.
• Place one stackable pan on top of the other. Close the stackable pan lids (if you have) and place them on the interlocking handle. Pour 1 and ½ cups of water in the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Place the trivet in the inner pot followed by the stackable pan with the vegetables and lentils.
• Close the lid and make sure the vent is in the sealed position. Make sure the vent is in the sealed position and select "manual" and set the time to 4 minutes on high pressure. When the cook is complete, wait for five minutes and release the pressure quickly.
• Carefully open the lid and take the stackable pans out. Mash the mung dal.
• Drain the water from the Instant Pot and wipe it dry. Now set the Instant Pot in the saute mode and wait till the display shows "HOT."
• Now add the oil and after 30 seconds add the shallots, garlic, and ginger.
• Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the green chili paste and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the mashed split yellow mung beans and the cooked vegetable along with the coconut milk. Simmer this for two minutes.
• Now add the ⅔ cup of coconut milk and mix well. Simmer this mix for another two minutes and press the cancel button.
• Add the chopped cilantro and serve it hot with rice or any tiffin item.

Video

Notes

• You can include vegetables like carrot and beans if you are unable to source drumsticks.
• Adjust the spices according to your preference.

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 1262mg | Potassium: 542mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 4.2mg

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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