Malabar Vellari & Chickpeas Kootu | Yellow Cucumber Kootu

Quick & easy kootu recipe | Pressure Cooker Recipe | How to make simple kootu | Lunch ideas | Rice and dal | Roti side-dish | Malabar Vellari recipe | Araichuvitta kootu | Kootu with fresh masala | Kani Vellari Kootu | Tambrahm Kootu Recipe

Malabar vellari & chickpeas kootu, a south-indian style dal made with Indian yellow cucumber, chickpeas and freshly ground spice with coconut.

What is Kootu

Kootu (Tamil:கூட்டு) is a Tamil word means to add, combine, mix. In the dish, vegetables are combined with lentils to make the dish kootu. Not only vegetables, you can combine legumes like chickpeas, black-eyed peas, edible flowers etc to make kootu.

I have quite a few varieties of kootu in my blog, ashgourd kootu with masoor dal, zucchini kootu etc. Drumstick flowers kootu is a delicacy made with fresh drumstick flowers/moringa blossoms when they are in season.

An elaborate South-indian thali always includes kootu. A festive thali has 2 dry curries, 1 kootu along with sambar, rasam, and of course payasam and vadai. Like this Tamil year Lunch

Kootu in Pressure Cooker | Instant Pot

Pressure cooker is a blessing when making kootu. Kootu is an easy to cook dish. Just dump everything in the pressure cooker and cook it for 4-5 whistles. It gets done in literally few minutes. Recently I have started using my Instant Pot too for the making kootu. With IP, I cook ⅔ things at the same time.

Since it takes very less time, it is my personal favorite. I make kootu every day. Kootu and rasam is our regular lunch. Keerai kootu is my lil ones and my personal favorite, so i happily include a greens kootu in my thali regularly.

If you are in Instagram and follow my handle I Camp in my Kitchen or my #tag #icampinmykitchenlunch, you will know what I say. My everyday lunch thali, contains a kootu, dry curry and rice. Interestingly, I have posted 84 lunch thali's under this tag. So, if at all you need any inspiration for lunch, do check my page.

Check this Simple Chana Dal Recipe Video

The Ingredients

• The vegetables, i have used malabar vellari/Indian yellow cucumber, the same kootu can be done with other vegetables like cabbage, ashgourd, chayote etc.
• Dal, I have used a combination of moong and masoor dal in my kootu recipe today. You can use a combination or just one dal.
• Legume, i have use brown chickpeas in this kootu today. You can replace it normal chickpeas or any other legume.
• Spices, I have made fresh spice mix using cumin, coriander, pepper, tuvar dal, chilies and coconut for this kootu. I usually make kootu with my Kootu podi, which is a handy spice to make kootu everyday.
• Tempering, the most important part of Indian cooking, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chilies along with curry leaves is used.
• I served this part of my lunch thali along with broccoli stir-fry, paruppu rasam. and Kothamalli thogayal

Step by Step instructions to make Vellari Kootu

Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions

• Wash and soak the lentils in water for 10 minutes. Wash, peel, remove the seeds and chop the indian cucumber into cubes. The chickpeas are presoaked overnight. I keep a pack of soaked legumes in my freezer so i have used it in the recipe.
• Heat a pressure cooker with oil, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chili, hing and curry leaves, saute.

• Add chopped tomatoes to this and saute. Dump the chopped vellari/yellow cucumber to this and saute for minute.
• Drain and add the dal, and the presoaked legumes to this and mix well. Add 2-3 cups of water.

• Take the spices mentioned in a mixer jar and grind it to a paste with ¼ cup water. Add this spice paste to the kootu. Add salt, mix well and close the lid and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
• Let the pressure fall on its own, open the cooker, mix well and serve it along with rice.

More Kootu Recipes

Recipe Card for Kani Vellari Kootu

Serve this delicious vellari kootu with rice and a drizzle of ghee. Enjoy it hot for the warm feeling. It is a wonderful recipe to pack as lunch too.

This kani vellari kootu can also be served with roti. We love to pair roti and kootu for our lunch.

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