Cabbage Kootu
The spices in this South Indian Cabbage Dal, or Cabbage Kootu, are mellowed by the sweetness of coconut. It is the quintessential Tamil dal and it goes perfectly with rice or even a south Indian bread like dosa. A vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 110kcal
Ingredients
- ½ small head cabbage (about four cups chopped), finely chopped
- ½ cup tuvar dal (split pigeon peas, also called toor dal or arhar dal)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- About 10-15 curry leaves (one sprig approximately)
- 3 tablespoon shredded coconut (or ½ cup coconut milk. Fresh or canned are both good)
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil (divided)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
For the masala:
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon urad dal (black gram dal)
- 1 tablespoon chana dal (Bengal gram dal)
- 1 dry red chili pepper (like arbol pepper or Kashmiri chili pepper. Use more or less based on your tolerance for heat)
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Instructions
- Pressure-cook the split yellow peas and cabbage with enough water to cover and turmeric. If you use an Indian pressure cooker that "whistles" allow the lentils to cook for three whistles. If cooking in a saucepan, cover by an inch of water and cook 30 minutes or until the dal is really soft. If cooking in an Instant Pot, set the pressure to high for 15 minutes.
- Heat ½ teaspoon of the oil and add the masala ingredients. Fry them until the dals turn golden, remove to a blender, and grind into a smooth paste along with coconut or coconut milk.
- Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and when the mustard sputters, add the dal and masala and mix. Add water if too thick.
- Bring the dal to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for another five minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Serve hot with rice and papad.
Nutrition
Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 67IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg