Kali and Kootu ~spicy south indian tuber stew served with whole wheat halwa~

copyright 2010 eat.right.think

I was recently visiting my dad in Madras and he decided to make kali and kootu for breakfast since I had skipped making this dish for Thiruvadurai this year [kali kootu is traditionally made on this day – I am clueless as to why this particular dish and even why this festival is celebrated – but I refuse to google it since I’m a lover of mystery and I like figuring out stuff through various well-informed and ill-informed sources and piece together my own version of celestial events!]

copyright 2010 eat.write.think

In our family, kootu is made using an amazing root vegetable much like Yam that we call Kavathu – its looks quite odd with its skin on [sadly it had been scrubbed before I could take a pic] but once it is peeled and chopped, kavathu reveals its purple hues. Another important ingredient is avarakkai – the larger variety. Our recipe for kavathu kootu is mind-bogglingly simple and delicious.

copyright 2010 eat.write.think

Ingredients

Equal quantities of kavathu, avarakkai and carrots chopped.

a cupful of peas

green chillies to taste

1 cup of grated coconut

a little bit of tamarind soaked

salt to taste

1 teaspoon turmeric

coconut oil

Method

1. Cook the vegetables [drop in the kavathu first, then as they are half cooked the rest] in tamarind water – add salt and turmeric.

2. Meanwhile grind the coconut and green chillies to a fine paste.

3. When the vegetables are done, add the coconut-chilly paste. Let it simmer once. Stir well to combine. Switch off. Pour a little coconut oil on top. Some of my relatives like to splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves in coconut oil on top. That tastes good too.

Now you’ve got to eat this kootu with kali – it’s the most amazing combination of a sweet and spicy meal.

We make kali with coarsely ground wheat instead of rice. I can’t list exact ingredients because I really don’t know – basically what you need to do is dissolve jaggery in water – I guess about half cup powdered jaggery to a cup of flour depending on how sweet the jaggery is – when the water with jaggery starts boiling, add a pinch of salt and add the wheat flour and stir like you would an uppuma…when everything is cooked, stir in some finely cut coconut pieces.

Switch off and enjoy it steaming hot with kootu on the side.

About the author: Nina is a film maker based in Bangalore, India.  She likes to eat and feed her friends; loves animals and a good laugh. To see more about her work visit Elephant Corridor.

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