Tomatillo Poricha Kootu – Tomatillo Dal

Nupur gave us the liberty of trying an unknown vegetable - X, for her A-Z of Indian Vegetables. There are many vegetables that I haven’t tried yet - artichokes, patty pan squash, mustard greens, to name a few. But when I went to the market these green beauties caught my attention. I have to admit that I have tried tomatillo once in a soup. It was too sour for my taste and I stayed away from it for almost a year now. Since this is an opportunity to try something new, I decided to give tomatillos a second chance.

Tomatillos

I wanted to carefully pair them with ingredients that will compensate the sourness. My mom prepares this dal or kootu using green, unripe tomatoes. Since tomatillos look like green tomatoes I decided to use them in this recipe. You can use other vegetables like chayote squash (chow chow), tomatoes (goes great with chapatti), carrot etc.

While buying tomatillos, buy small green ones. They look like green tomatoes with husk. The husk says a lot about its freshness. It should wrap the fruit tightly and should be light brown in colour. It should not be shriveled or dried. It is said that leaving tomatillos to rip further enhances its sweetness, I haven’t tried this though.

Ingredients

Tomatillo – 10 or 12, husked and chopped
Moong dal – ¼ cup
Coconut – 2 tbsp, grated
Green chillies – 4-6
Cumin seeds – 3/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – few
Turmeric powder – ¼ + ¼ tsp
Salt

Method

Cook moong dal with turmeric powder until soft. Grind coconut, green chillies and cumin powder into a fine paste.

In a vessel boil tomatillos in ¼ cup of water with salt and turmeric powder. The tomatillos turn from bright green to greenish yellow as they cook. Mix dal and ground spice mixture to the vegetable and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a seasoning pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves and add to the dal. Serve with rice.

Tomatillo Poricha Kootu - Tomatillo Dal

42 comments:

Laavanya said...

That looks great Suganya. I've made Broccoli Poricha Kootu before but never thought of trying it with tomatillos. I like the dip you get in mexican restaurants made with tomatillo... that's the only way I've had it before.

Chandrika said...

Suganya, that's a very interesting recipe and your photos are very pleasing..Thank u..

archana said...

This vegetable is new to me . We don't get it here.
This is a nice idea to use it in dal. It must have balanced the sourness of the vegetable :)

Anonymous said...

suganya,u r amazing photographer.i am bowled over the recipe too.it's very good one never heared of it.thank u

Jyothi said...

Hi Suganya! very tempting recipe with green tomatos. I used to prepare only chutney with these veggie. Now I will try this too. Thanks for sharing.

Roopa said...

the photo of the tomatilla looks very good. i havent seen them here, though i do use raw tomatoes. the kootu looks delicious...

Anonymous said...

The picture is great suganya. I make chutney with the tomatillos.

Off the record, Ur name rings a bell , I think I know you and we live in the same place!!!

Viji said...

An usual recipe with an unusual veggie suganya. Great. Looks very nice. Viji

WokandSpoon said...

I've never seen this vegetable before. I'll definitely have to try it! Thanks for the introduction ;-)

Suganya said...

Broccoli poricha kootu is a nice idea Laavanya. Thanks for the idea.

Thanks Chandrika

Archana, I have never seen this vegetable in India. It is available in the US bcoz it is extensively used in Mexican cuisine.

Thank you Ramya and Roopa.

I would like to know that chutney recipe Jyothi. Post it when you can find 'em.

Dee, Is that so? You can mail me at tastypalettes@gmail.com if i know you. Thats interesting.

Viji, Tomatillo is unusual. Not sure whether they are available where you live.

Wokandspoon, Do try and lemme know how you liked 'em. I remember the soup was so tart that I ate it with my eyes closed ;)

Nupur said...

That is a lovely idea, Suganya! After all, we do use tangy notes in dal...whether it is tomato, lemon or tamarind. But the tomatillo is really sour, right? Did you find that this dal became too tangy or did you enjoy the taste?
I love tomatillos, but I confess that I use them in only one recipe: to make salsa verde, which I then use as a sauce for enchiladas. We love this so much that I have never gotten around to using tomatillos any other way. Thanks for this idea :)

sra said...

That's a nice shot of the tomatillos!

sunita said...

It's a new vegetable for me as well...thanks for the recipe...

Padma said...

Suganya thats a nice piece of info on how to select the tomatillos. Do they taste the same like green tomatos, coz my frend said they don't. Nice recipe with as usual wonderful pics, does G gives any tutorial session on Photography, if yes, then I will enroll.... :)

FH said...

Suganya,I bought Tomatillos thinking that it might taste like green tomatoes and cooked it.We got the shock of our lives.It was SOOO tangy,I had to throw the dish.I should have used just 2-3 in the dish.Your's looks great.Next time I will try your way with less Tomatillos!:)
Btw,I have a great Pumpkin Pie recipe which I make for every Halloween,try that.In your MeMe,you said you couldn't get the good recipe for it.(I think it's you!)Hope you try:)

Bong Mom said...

Have never tried tomatillo, looks interesting. Had seen it once in Kalyn's blog, I think

Sia said...

i am not sure which one i like more...the recipe or the picture!!!

bee said...

suganya, have you tried roasting them? they get sweet and succulent, and make a great salsa.

Manasi said...

Hi Suganya!!! Love the tang in the tomatillos ... must try this !!

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I see this vegetable. :) Interesting.

Anonymous said...

That first picture of the tomatillos is a beauty!! Who shot it - you or G? :-)

I don't quite like the stickiness of the tomatillos, but will not refuse if prepared by someone else. Did you find the skin to be a bit gummy?

ushaprashanth said...

Hi suganya!
This looks a lot like green tomato!!!! we do prepare this kootu with green tomato ! nice photos!

Suganya said...

Thanks Nupur. The dal was pleasingly sour. We did enjoy it. I haven't tried anything else with tomatillo, like the cat in Tenali Raman story :))

Thank you Sra and Sunita.

Padma, if that's a serious question, then the answer is, unfortunately, no. He has so many things on his plate right now.

Asha, I know how you must have felt. That tiny fruit packs a mighty punch. And pumpkin pie recipe, y dont you prepare and post it. Yr pics might motivate me ;)

Sandeepa, They are available till august. You can try 'em.

Thanks Sia!

Bee, The soup I tried was roasted tomatillo soup. It din't help a bit. Now that I have pardoned them, I am gonna try them often.

Thank you Cooking Ninja and Manasi!

ET, Both are my shots :). You are right. The skin is sticky. But it goes off once you wash yr hands. But I dint find the skin gummy. Was very soft.

Usha, They look like green tomatoes but are not tomatoes.

Nupur said...

I did write the meme after all:
http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2007/07/monthly-blog-patrol-and-meme.html
Thanks for tagging me :)

Tee said...

great recipe, great pictures! :) I have never tried tomatillos..are they very sour in taste? one of my friends had made chutney but she said that it was too sour and did not taste good.

Suganya said...

Thank you so much Nupur. After all, knowing extra 7 facts about you wouldn't hurt ;)

Tee, They are sour. You have try 'em for yrself before omitting this veg forever.

Suma Gandlur said...

Love the picture of your kootu. Need to try this. Some how I lean towards toor dal more.

Anonymous said...

Looking great. That is a good try and entry.

Anonymous said...

great recipe...so new to me...looks great...lovely pic...thx

Anonymous said...

I've rarely had tomatillo too Suganya -- in the kootu with coconut and moong dal, I bet it's great! Must try this one. In your photo at the top they look good enough to eat raw :)

ayseyaman said...

Hi Suganya,
long time ago, I watched a movie called "Fried Green Tomatoes". After that I cooked fried green tomatoes. So that time was the first and last time I used green tomatoes. :)
But this tomatillo looks so cute maybe I can try one more time. :)
By the way, I posted lovely authentic Turkish appetizers. Hope you like it.
You are bookmarked, too! :)

S said...

thats a mouth watering recipe..i liked the color

Seema Bhat said...

Suganya, As always beautiful shot girl. Coming to the dish I have never till date tried using tomatillo. It looks so much like raw tomato isn't it?

Prema Sundar said...

I have not cooked anything with green tomatoes Suganya..it sure must have tasted great with moong dal . would love to try this simple and neat dish when i find these tomatoes. thanks.

Sharmi said...

I have never tried my hands on tomatillo. but getting confident when I see your recipe and pics. lovely recipe.

Kajal said...

This is a new vegetable for me but very nice picture of tomatilla........Great recipe.:)

Sig said...

Suganya, thats a clever idea... I've never had tomatillo in Indian dishes... the pics look great... :)

ServesYouRight said...

Beautiful pictures and recipe!! I've always wondered what tomatillo would taste like...

Smita

Priyanka said...

Suganya,
the recipe looks great. tomatillos in coconut gravy- sounds yummy. will give it a try.

Anonymous said...

I landed to this webpage thru a google search for tomatillo recipe...this was the first time I was cooking with tomatillo...ur recipe is a bit hit...it was a lil sour though for me...I might try reducing the number...but a great recipe...

Suganya said...

Gald you liked it anon. Dal with green tomatoes is sour too. I made this recipe based on that.

Suganya said...

Hi. Is the kootu supposed to be this sour? Its kinda funny taste, ur mind cannot comprehend sourness in a kootu thats usually coconuty n not sour.

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