Cabbage Kootu: Combining Green and Purple Cabbage
Learn how to make cabbage kootu, a traditional Tamil Nadu side dish with green and purple cabbage and coconut.
Servings: 6
Calories: 70kcal
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup= 240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1tsp= 5ml;
- ¼ moong dal
- 2 tbsp chana dal
- 2 shallots optional
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup water
- 1.5 cups green cabbage chopped(approx 150 grams)
- 1.5 cups purple cabbage chopped(approx 150 grams)
- 1.5 tsp salt or to taste
To grind
- ¼ cup coconut
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 5 to 8 peppercorns
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 2 green chilies
- ½ cup water divided
To Temper
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
Instructions
- Rinse the moong dal and chana dal thoroughly and add them to the cooking vessel. To this, add shallots, turmeric powder, and 1 cup of water.
- Layer the rinsed and chopped cabbage on top of the dal mixture without adding extra water.
- Pressure cook for three whistles using a stovetop pressure cooker with the pot-in-pot method—add 2 cups of water to the base of the cooker, place the vessel inside, and cook. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Meanwhile, grind coconut, green chilies, curry leaves, cilantro, cumin seeds, and pepper with ¼ cup of water to prepare the kootu masala.
- To the cooked cabbage and dal, add 1.5 teaspoons of salt and mix well.
- Stir in the ground masala along with ¼ cup of water (used to rinse the mixer jar) and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. As cabbage releases more water, avoid adding extra liquid beyond the recommended amount.
- Once the kootu starts simmering, turn off the heat.
- For tempering, heat two teaspoons of coconut oil in a small pan. When hot, add mustard seeds and urad dal. Let the mustard seeds splutter and the urad dal turn light brown before adding the tempering to the kootu. Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- You can use either green or purple cabbage instead of a mix of both.
- Chana dal is optional and can be adjusted in quantity as per preference.
- Shallots are also optional; skip them for a no-onion version.
- If not using a pressure cooker, cook the moong dal and chana dal separately, mash them well, and proceed with the recipe. After tempering, add chopped cabbage, salt, and a sprinkle of water. Cover and cook until the cabbage softens, then add the mashed dal and ground masala.
- Adjust salt and spices to taste.
- A small half-inch piece of ginger can be added while grinding the masala for extra flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 646mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 343IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg