Vazhaipoo Puli Kootu |Pressure Cooker Recipe | South Indian Lunch Thali #7

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Vazhaipoo puli kootu, a south-indian style tamarind based, thick dal made with banana blossom aka banana flower. A simple and quick pressure cooker recipe with regular pantry ingredients.

Kootu vs Sambar

Vazhaipoo puli kootu is my mother's recipe. She makes delicious kootu with tamarind. What is the difference between kootu and sambar? In simple terms, sambar is veggies cooked with tamarind water, spiced with sambar powder, thickened with dal mash, usually toor dal.

Whereas kootu, a thick stew made with vegetables and dal. The dal can be a mix of toor, moong and chana dal or just one of them. The spice base for kootu is usually pepper and cumin ground with coconut. I use my mother's Kootu Podi recipe for my regular kootu. This kootu podi, comes real handy, if you cook south-indian regularly.

Today's Lunch Thali

On my plate, from left to right.

• Steaming hot rice with generous ghee
• Vazhaikaai Podi | Raw banana podi | Rice mix powder
• Vazhaipoo Puli Kootu
• Paruppu Rasam

Types of Kootu

Apart from regular kootu, we have araichuvita kootu with chilies and coconut as spice. Check this simple mixed vegetable kootu made with coconut and chiles as spice. We also have paal kootu, which uses rice flour and milk mix as thickener and just chilies and coconut for spice.

Today's recipe, Puli kootu slightly resembles sambar, you can even say it as thick sambar. Amma uses, sambar podi along with freshly ground spices for her puli kootu. She also uses a mix of dal for the vazhaipoo puli kootu recipe. Another simple puli kootu with brinjal & chickpeas and made in open pan.

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Ingredients

• Vazhaipoo, aka banana blossom. The flowers separated and thick black middle stamen removed.
• Dal, mix of toor dal/split pigeon peas, chana dal and moong dal is used in this banana blossom puli kootu.

• Spices, Sambar podi and fresh masala made with roasted spices, tamarind and fresh coconut, is used to make this delicious tamarind based kootu with banana flower.
• Tempering, regular south-indian tempering spices like mustard, hing, curry leaves.

Step by Step Instructions to make Banana Blossom Kootu

Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions

• Prep the vazhaipoo/banana blossom and remove the florets. Remove tthe thick black middle stamen from the florets. The florets can be refrigerated in an air-tight container and chopped whenever necessary.
• Chop the flowers and keep it buttermilk diluted with water. I usually mix 2-3 tablespoon buttermilk 1-2 cups of water. This will stay good in the refrigerator for 7-10 days, that how long i have stored them.
• I usually chop and add them to buttermilk diluted water the previous day, this way flowers won't taste bitter.
• To make kootu, wash and keep the dals ready. Roast the spices, let them cool, grind it with coconut and keep it aside.

• Heat a pressure cooker with oil, splutter mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves. Add chopped tomatoes and saute.
• Next add the drained and washed banana blossom flowers to the tempering. Add the washed and drained dal to this.
• Add the ground masala paste, add 1 cup water to the mixer, wash and add it to the cooker and top it with another 2 cups of water.
• Add sambar powder, turmeric and salt to this, mix well. Close the pressure cooker and let this cook for 4-5 whistles.
• Let the pressure come down on its own. Open, mix well and serve it with Rice and curry.

Recipe Card for Vazhaipoo Puli Kootu

This delicious vazahipoo puli kootu can be enjoyed as a weekend lunch or can be made in a jiffy for a weekday lunchbox.

While packing for lunch, make sure you cool the rice down first, add kootu mix well, let it sit for 5 minutes, the rice will absorb the liquid, then add 2-3 ladles again, mix and then pack. This way, the rice won't become like a cake while having it for lunch in the afternoon.

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