Cabbage Mor Kootu and Beet Leaves Thogayal

Cabbage Mor Kootu – Cabbage in Yoghurt

If there is a favourite way to eat cabbage, then this is it, for me. The crunchy cabbage and cool yoghurt in this mildly spiced kootu goes well with almost all of my day-to-day menu. If you are new to Indian cooking, or just want a mild, refreshing side to go with sambar or any other spicy entree, you have come to the right place.

Ingredients

Cabbage – 1, small
Yoghurt – ¾ cup
Grated coconut – 1/3 cup
Green chillies – 2
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – few
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt

Method

Slice cabbage into thin, 2 inch long pieces. Cook cabbage with little water and salt. Grind coconut, chillies and cumin seeds to a fine paste. When cabbage becomes soft and not mushy, add the ground mixture. Adjust salt and heat through.

In a seasoning pan heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and throw some curry leaves. Add this to cabbage kootu. Just before serving, mix cabbage with yoghurt.

You can do this kootu in microwave too. Cook cabbage for about 10-12 minutes. After adding the spice mixture, mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. Then follow the recipe as given above.

I like to serve this kootu along with any of the following - mixed rice, thogayal (chutney), sambar, vatral kuzhambu or milagu kozhambu (black pepper gravy).

Cabbage mor kootu served with beet leaves thogayal.

Beet Leaves Thogayal

The beetroots that I got from farmer's market had gorgeous greens, I didn't have the heart to throw them away. But I haven't cooked with them before. So, as a safe measure, I made thogayal, and was pleased with the results. The leaves were mildly beet-y and rendered a beautiful purple colour when mixed with rice.

Ingredients

Beet leaves – 2 cups, chopped
Urad dal – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Red chillies – 3
Asafoetida – a pinch
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Tamarind paste – 1 tsp
Salt
Oil

Method

In a pan, heat oil, and roast 1 tbsp urad dal, red chillies, asafoetida. When dal turns golden brown, add chopped beet leaves and cook until soft. Cool and grind with tamarind and salt. Season with mustard seeds and urad dal. Serve with rice and a tsp of sesame oil.