Mulakootal

Name: Mulakootal
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 3 pieces Eggplant (3 Small Green brinjal (green aubergine) diced); 1 piece Carrot (1 Carrot (Gajjar) diced); 1 cup Ash Gourd (1 cup Vellai Poosanikai (Ash gourd/White Pumpkin) peeled and diced); 1 piece Drumstick (1 Drumstick cut into 2 inch pieces); 1 piece Banana (1 Raw Banana peeled and diced); 5 pieces Green Beans (5 Green beans cut into 1 inch pieces); ½ cup Split Pigeon Peas (1/2 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal)); 1 tsp Ground Turmeric (1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)); 0 pieces Table Salt (Salt to taste); ½ cup Coconut (1/2 cup Fresh coconut grated); 3 tsp White Urad Dal (2 teaspoons White Urad Dal (Split) + 1 teaspoon White Urad Dal (Split)); 4 pieces Dried Red Chili (3 Dry Red Chillies + 1 Dry Red Chillies); 1 tsp Cumin Seeds (1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)); 1 tsp Coconut Oil (1 teaspoon Coconut Oil); ½ tsp Mustard Seeds (1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu)); 1 sprig Curry leaves (1 sprig Curry leaves roughly torn)

A South Indian Kerala-style lentil and vegetable curry made with split toor dal, mixed vegetables, and a creamy paste of fresh coconut, roasted spices, and finished with a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves.

45 minIndian

Servings4

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Vegetarian
Vegan
Pescatarian
Halal

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Eggplant3 pieces · 3 Small Green brinjal (green aubergine) diced
Carrot1 piece · 1 Carrot (Gajjar) diced
Ash Gourd1 cup · 1 cup Vellai Poosanikai (Ash gourd/White Pumpkin) peeled and diced
Drumstick1 piece · 1 Drumstick cut into 2 inch pieces
Banana1 piece · 1 Raw Banana peeled and diced
Green Beans5 pieces · 5 Green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
Split Pigeon Peas½ cup · 1/2 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal)
Ground Turmeric1 tsp · 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
Table Salt0 pieces · Salt to taste
Coconut½ cup · 1/2 cup Fresh coconut grated
White Urad Dal3 tsp · 2 teaspoons White Urad Dal (Split) + 1 teaspoon White Urad Dal (Split)
Dried Red Chili4 pieces · 3 Dry Red Chillies + 1 Dry Red Chillies
Cumin Seeds1 tsp · 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
Coconut Oil1 tsp · 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil
Mustard Seeds½ tsp · 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu)
Curry leaves1 sprig · 1 sprig Curry leaves roughly torn

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Steps

1To begin making the Mulakootal recipe, prepare all the ingredients and keep them ready for easy cooking.
2First prepare the vegetables. Wash, peel, and dice all your chosen vegetables. Into a pressure cooker, add the vegetables along with a sprinkle of salt and 1/4 cup of water. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and keep aside.
3Rinse the Arhar dal thoroughly under running water. In the same pressure cooker, cook the Arhar dal along with 3/4 cup of water for 2 whistles. After 2 whistles, turn the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Once released, open the lid and lightly mash the dal and keep aside.
4Next step is to roast the spices for the coconut paste.
5In a small pan, dry roast the urad dal (2 teaspoon) and dry red chillies (3) over low to medium heat for 2–3 minutes or until you get a nutty aroma and a slight golden color on the dal.
6Take care not to burn them; stir continuously.
7Transfer the roasted urad dal and chillies to a mixer/grinder. Add the grated fresh coconut and cumin seeds.
8Grind to a smooth paste, adding a little water if required. The consistency of this paste determines the creaminess of your Mulakootal recipe.
9Final step is to combine vegetables, dal & coconut paste. Into a large pan, add the cooked vegetables, pour in the boiled and mashed dal and stir in the freshly ground coconut paste.
10Turn on the heat to medium, let the Mulakootal mixture simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. This allows the flavors to blend beautifully and ensures there's no raw coconut taste left. Check the salt and adjust according to taste.
11To prepare the tempering (tadka), in a small tadka pan, heat the coconut oil.
12Add mustard seeds; once they begin to splutter, toss in the 1 teaspoon of urad dal, the dry red chilli, and a handful of curry leaves.
13Sauté this for about 2 minutes, until the urad dal becomes golden brown, crisp and aromatic.
14Pour the tempering over the simmering Mulakootal. Give your Mulakootal recipe a final stir.
15Adjust salt if needed and transfer to a serving bowl, and serve piping hot.
16Enjoy Mulakootal with steaming hot rice for a true taste of Kerala’s heritage. You can also pair it with a simple pickle or papad on the side. For a more complete meal, serve it alongside a crunchy salad or a yogurt-based raita.