Koottu Curry & a Special Day

Today is "Attham" - the first day of the 10 day long festival of Onam. Atham is regarded holy and auspicious by the people of Kerala. Onam is a festival which is celebrated in a large scale in Kerala apart from Christmas, Easter and Vishu. 

Onam falls in the month of "Chingam" (Malayalam calendar) and marks the homecoming of the legendary King Maveli. It is said that during his rule all people were considered equal and there was no caste based distinction. This folk song about Maveli tells us the same "Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam, manushyarellarum onnu pole".

Today is even more special for me as it is my dearest Mummy's birthday :-) Happy birthday my dear "Mum". I love you so much and I miss you so much. I am sure Mum is going to have a blast there with her friends and of course with Daddy. :-)

On this special day of "Attham" - Mum's birthday, I decided to post something that my mom loves - Koottu Cury. Koottu Curry is one of her favorite "Sadya" (Sadya is a big feast associated with a special occasion) dishes. A combination of black chickpeas, raw banana and yam, this Kerala delicacy is a must-have part of the Sadya.

Thanks to the Yummy Team of Yummy O Yummy  for showing this perfect authentic recipe for Kottu curry. :-) Arun just loved it. :-)  

Ingredients 

• Raw banana, diced - 2
• Yam/Chena, diced - 1.5 C
• Green chillies, slit - 4
• Curry leaves, sprigs - 1
• Black chickpeas/kadala, cooked - 3/4 C 
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 t
• Chilly powder - 1/2 t
• Cumin powder - 1 t
• Garam masala powder - 1 t
• Grated coconut - 1 1/2 C

For the tadka

• Mustard seeds - 1/2 t
• Dry red chillies - 3
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Salt - To taste
• Oil - 1 T

Method

• Cook the banana and yam along with turmeric powder, chilly powder, green chillies, curry leaves, water (enough to cover them) and salt. 
• Continue cooking until they are well-cooked and the water has evaporated completely. 
• To this, add garam masala powder, cumin powder and the cooked chickpeas. 
• Mix it very well. 
• Meanwhile roast the coconut until it turns brown (be careful not to burn it). 
• Add the roasted coconut to the cooked vegetable mixture. 
• Taste the mix and check for salt.

For the Tadka

• In a small pan, heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds. 
• Fry dry red chillies and curry leaves. 
• Pour over the veggie mix. 
• Your yummy koottu curry is ready to be served.

Koottu curry goes best with rice. I love it any day :-) Try this out friends.