Thiruvathirai Kootu

Thiruvathirai kootu is a festival food done on Thiruvathirai. It is accompanied with the Thiruvathirai kali done on Thiruvathirai. It is done with a lot of vegetables (seven), tamarind and a grinded mixture. It is very aromatic from freshly ground spices and tastes very delicious.




Ingredients
Tamarind – 1 big lemon sized
Water – 6 cups
Potato (chopped) – 1 cup
Beans (chopped) – 1 cup
Carrot (chopped) – 1 cup
Pumpkin (chopped) – 1 cup
Yellow Pumpkin (chopped) – 1 cup
Sweet Potato (chopped) – 1 cup
Brinjal (chopped) – 1 cup
Peas – 1 cup
Avaraikkai (chopped) – 1 cup
Drum Stick - 2 (chopped)
Coconut – ½ cup
Red chili – 8 (adjust to taste)
Coriander Seeds – 1 ½ table spoon
Cumin Seeds – ½ tea spoon
Fenugreek Seeds – ½ tea spoon
Kadalai Parupu – ¼ cup
Mustard Seeds – ½ tea spoon
Oil – 1 table spoon
Turmeric Powder – 1 tea spoon
Salt – 2 tea spoons (adjust to taste)
Curry leaves – 10
Coriander leaves – 1 table spoon
Toor daal – 1 cup
Asafetida – ¼ tea spoon

Method
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 15 minutes. Extract the tamarind juice and keep aside
Boil the Toor daal with a pinch turmeric powder and 2 cups water until well done
Mash the boiled toor daal and keep aside
Heat a small pan and add ½ tea spoon oil
Add Kadalai parupu and sauté.
Once little golden, add coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and sauté till all are golden
Add red chili and sauté for a minute.
Remove from heat and grind along with coconut once in room temperature adding ½ cup water
Keep the above mixture aside
Boil all the vegetables with minimal salt and keep aside – boil the potatoes separately. Also boil these vegetables in cooker with more time consuming vegetables at bottom of the cooker vessel
Remove from cooker after 3 whistles. Now all the vegetables should be 90% cooked. They all should remain in shape
Heat a big pan and add the remaining oil
Add mustard seeds and once they crackle, add red chili, curry leaves and asafetida and after 30 seconds, add the tamarind water
Once the water starts to boil, add turmeric powder and salt and allow it to boil for another 5 minutes
Add the vegetables and let it come to a boil and boil for 3 minutes
Add the grinded mixture and mix well
Add the boiled and mashed toor daal and remove from heat once it comes to a boil
Add coriander leaves to garnish and the Thiruvathirai kootu is ready for neivedhiyam!!!

Sending this to Siri’s Anniversary Event, Dish name starts with T, DIO - lentils and vegetables