Cabbage and Carrot Curry/Kootu

1.About the dish 

A  Moong dhal cabbage and carrot curry, is one of the authentic and day to day curry in the homes of many South Indian families.

I was introduced to this dish by my mother in law, who prepare this dish as sides for chapati and roti.

My husband who loves this dish, ask me to prepare this curry as often .You can have this as sides to chapati, roti, rice and with stuffed as tacos. If you have a toddler, they can have it as a bowl of this curry. It is a simple curry that needs very few ingredients.

2. Preparation time

Ten minutes to shred the cabbage and slice the carrot.

3. Cooking time

It takes up to maximum of 20 minutes. Total time to prepare the dish is 30 minutes.

4. Ingredient

  Let's have a look at the ingredients needed:

 Shredded cabbage : 1/2 cup 
 Sliced carrots        : 1/4 cup
 Frozen green peas : as needed
 Moong dhal           : 1/4 cups
 Coconut                 : 1/4 cups
 Green chili             : 4 to 5
 Salt                        : as needed
 Cumin seeds          : 1 teaspoon

For Garnishing (optional)

•  Mustard seeds
•  Urid dhal
•  Hing
•  Curry leaves
•  Red chilies- 2

5. Preparation

1. To start this curry, cook the moong dhal in a pressure cooker for 3 to 4 whistle, or boil the moong dhal in a pan on medium heat for 15 minutes till it turns mushy.
2. Boil the shredded cabbage, carrot and peas in a water for 10 minutes, strain the vegetables and add it to the mashed moong dhal. 
3. Now, to the blender add 1/4 cup of  coconut, 4 to 5 green chili's and 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds to it and grind it to a paste.

4. Now, add these grinded coconut paste to mashed moong dhal and vegetables curry and give a nice mix and let it boil for 2 minutes.

5. Finally add the required salt to it, and let it boil for another two minutes to become thick and curry consistency and switch off the flame.

For Garnishing: To your pan add some vegetable oil, add 1 teaspoon of mustard seed,1 teaspoon of urid dhal, some curry leaf and 2 red chili, and lit bit of Hing.

Your curry is ready to go with rice and chapati. 

6. Other way of preparing dish

My Mother prepare this recipe without moong dhal and coconut paste, just boil the veggie's and add the grounded black pepper corn and salt to it. As this is yet another quick way of preparing this curry.