Thiruvathirai kootu, 7-kari kootu, a tangy vegetable stew made of 7 different vegetables . It is traditionally served with sweet kali made on thiruvadirai, a festival celebrated in Tamilnadu and kerala.
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What is 7-Kari Kootu/Kuzhambu
Thiruvathirai kootu, a tamarind based mixed vegatable stew made especially for festive days. This traditonal kootu is made with a combination of 7 different vegetables, that is why the name 7-kari kuzhambu. This delicious kuzhambu, made during festive days like aarudra and pongal, denoting auspiciousness and abundance.
How to make 7-Kari Kootu
The vegetables used to make this kootu is mostly country vegetables, that gets harvested during that period. This also promotes local eating habit. One can use pumpkin, brinjal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, field beans, plantains, yam varieteis etc. Apart from the vegetables we can also use beans like chickpeas, black-eyed peas and fresh green peas.
Gather and chop the vegetables of the same size. Check the recipe card below for the ingredients list. Dry roast and grind the spice powder. In a pressure pan, add tempering, saute the vegetable, add the tamarind extract and spice powder. Pressure cook until done. Once done, let the pressure drop on its own. Open the cooker, check consistency and add tempering.
Serve this lip-smacking, tangy stew with kali, or you can serve it with rice and dry subzi too.
Thiruvathirai Kootu | 7-Kari kootu in cooker
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 no sweet potato peeled and chopped
- 1 no plantain peeled and chopped
- 4-5 nos brinjals/egg-plants chopped
- 1 no radish peeled and chopped
- 1 no carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 slice yellow pumpkin about 8-10 cubes
- ¼ cup dried green beans
- ¼ cp toor dal
- a small lemon sized tamarind soaked in water
- salt to taste
To Roast & Grind
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon chana dal/gram dal
- 2 teaspoon raw rice
- 5-6 nos red chilies
- 3-4 tablespoon grated coconut
- a sprig of curry leaf
Tempering
- 2 teaspoon oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon methi seeds
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 nos red chilies
- ⅛ teaspoon hing/asafoetida
Instructions
- Wash and chop all the veggies to cubes, and soak them in water until use. All the veggies should be of the same size to ease even cooking. x
- Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes and extract around 2 cups of tamarind extract.
- If using dried beans, soak them overnight. I always have pre-soaked beans in my freezer all the time, so i used them while cooking. In case you are using fresh beans, you can use it straight, withoutsoaking
- Roast all the ingredients given under Roast and grind one by one and grind it with ¼ cup water to a fine paste
- In a Pressure pan, heat oil given under "Tempering", splutter mustard seeds, add methi/fenugreek seeds, add hing, turmeric, red chilies and saute for 2 minutes.
- Drain the veggies and add it to the pan, saute well for 2-3 minutes. next add the tamarind extract, toor dal, ground paste and 1 cup water. add salt, mix well
- When the mixture starts boiling, close the lid,put the whistle on, pressure cook in a medium flame, for 2-3 whistles. i cookedfor 3 whistles
- Take it of the flame, let the pressure release on its own, remove the lid of the pressure pan, mix well with a laddle, check the consistency shouldn't be watery, if yes, then boil for some more time.
- Finally add fresh coriander leaves. Serve it along with Thiruvadirai Kali.
Disclaimer
I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.
Serve this delicious 7-kari kootu with kali or enjoy it with hot steaming rice.
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Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I have an affinity towards this kootu and kali. Amma made the best one and everyone in my family were a big fan of hers. I loved it as well and make it often. Looks so delicious and the only difference that I see from my recipe is I have never used eggplant.
Bless my food by Payal
A long list of ingredients but all are so basic and easily available in every indian kitchen. So there’s no reason to resist from trying this delicious recipe once.
Vandana
Such a unique recipe and it sounds delicious. I am learning so much about South Indian cuisine through your recipes. Thanks for sharing this recipe, will definitely try it.
Lata Lala
Thiruvathirai kootu, 7-kari kootu, a tangy vegetable stew made of 7 different vegetables sounds so interesting. This one is such a unique recipe, and good read about traditional recipes always.
Uma Srinivas
Such a flavorful kootu and this sounds yummy! I make only plain kootu, this reminds my aunty who lives in Chennai! she makes this whenever we visit her. 🙂
Archana
Wow, 7 kari kutto sound delicious. Country veggie stews are my favourites. You guys should have made it for the Hydrabad meet. Sounds amazing.
Mayuri Patel
7 Kari Kootu sounds so delicious. What a delightful way to use several vegetables all in a single lip smacking curry. Thank you for sharing this festival recipe.
Seema Sriram
Kootu and kali were ammas favourite combination. I don’t remember her ever restricting it to just a few thiruvathirai days, it was more so on most days she felt like. Your images so reminded me of the lovely flavour when both are combined.
Sapana
Never heard of 7kari kootu but it sure does sound so delicious. Would love to definitely try it sometime .