Cabbage kootu recipe with step by step photos – tasty South Indian style recipe of cabbage and moong lentils with coconut and spices.
Two curry or gravy recipes which I make with cabbage and lentils is this cabbage kootu and Poricha kuzhambu. in poritha kuzhambu, I add other veggies too and skip cabbage on occasions.
Cabbage kootu is a slightly thick consistency dal made with a ground coconut paste and spices. The taste of cabbage is not felt in the recipe. I cook both the cabbage and dal together. Though you can cook the cabbage and dal separately too. You can also cook both dal and cabbage in pressure cooker. Just add 1 cup water if cooking in pressure cooker.
This cabbage dal recipe is very easy to prepare and tastes great with steamed rice. i prepare cabbage kootu with moong dal but You can also use tuvar dal or half-half of both tuvar dal and moong dal.
Serve cabbage kootu with steamed rice and a side veggie stir fry or roast or pickle and papadums.
How to make cabbage kootu recipe
1. Rinse ½ cup moong dal a couple of times in water. Then add the lentils in a thick bottomed pot or pan.
2. Next add 1 to 2.5 cups chopped cabbage. Also add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
3. Pour 2 to 2.25 cups water.
4. Place the pan on a stove top. Cover it with a lid.
5. Simmer on a medium or low-medium flame till both the moong dal and the lentils are cooked.
6. Do check and stir at intervals, while the cabbage and dal is cooking. If required you can add more water.
7. While the cabbage and moong lentils are cooking, you can prepare the coconut paste. Take ¼ cup grated coconut, 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped), 1 teaspoon cumin seeds in a chutney grinder jar. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons water for grinding. for spicy taste, add 3 to 4 green chilies.
8. Grind to a smooth paste. Cover and keep aside.
9. The moong lentils need to be softened well and become mushy. Mash the moong lentils with a spoon. There should not be any separately visible moong dal. Cooking moong dal and cabbage takes about 40 to 45 minutes on a low-medium flame.
10. Now add the ground coconut paste.
11. Season with salt.
12. Mix very well. add some water at this step if the dal looks very thick.
13. Simmer on a low flame for 4 to 5 minutes. Do stir at intervals so that the dal does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
14. Then add 2 teaspoons rice flour. Rice flour is optional and you can skip if you want. rice flour is used for thickening.
15. Mix very well and cook the kootu for 5 to 6 minutes till the dal comes to a gentle boil. Do stir while dal is cooking, so that the lentils do not stick to the base of the pan. Switch off the flame and cover the pan.
Tempering for cabbage kootu
1. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Then add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon urad dal.
2. fry till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden. Instead of coconut oil, you can also use sesame oil (gingelly oil) or peanut or sunflower oil.
3. then add 10 to 12 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Stir and then switch off the flame.
4. Pour the tempered ingredients in the cabbage kootu. Cover the pan for 5 minutes so that the tempering flavors infuse in the kootu.
5. Then add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Coriander leaves are optional and you can skip if you do not have.
6. Serve cabbage kootu with steamed rice.
More dal recipes for you!
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Cabbage Kootu
Ingredients
for cooking cabbage and moong dal
- 2 to 2.5 cups chopped cabbage
- ½ cup moong dal (husked split moong lentils)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 to 2.25 cups water
to be ground to a paste
- ¼ cup grated fresh coconut
- 1 to 2 green chilies - chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water for grinding
other ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Rice Flour - optional
- salt as required
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) - optional
for tempering cabbage kootu
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 10 to 12 curry leaves or 1 sprig curry leaves
Instructions
making cabbage kootu
- Rinse ½ cup moong dal a couple of times in water. Then add the lentils in a thick bottomed pot or pan.
- Next add 1 to 2.5 cups chopped cabbage. Also add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 2 to 2.25 cups water.
- Place the pan on a stove top. Cover it with a lid.
- Simmer on a medium or low-medium flame till both the moong dal and the lentils are cooked.
- Do check and stir at intervals, while the cabbage and dal is cooking. If required you can add more water.
- While the cabbage and moong lentils are cooking, you can prepare the coconut paste. Take ¼ cup grated coconut, 1 to 2 green chilies, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds in a chutney grinder jar. Add 2 to 3 tbsp water for grinding. For spicy taste, add 3 to 4 green chilies.
- Grind to a smooth paste. Cover and keep aside.
- The moong lentils need to be softened well and become mushy. Mash the moong lentils with a spoon. There should not be any separately visible moong dal. Cooking moong dal and cabbage takes about 40 to 45 minutes on a low-medium flame.
- Now add the ground coconut paste. Season with salt.
- Mix very well. Add some water at this step if the dal looks very thick.
- Simmer on a low flame for 4 to 5 minutes. Do stir at intervals so that the dal does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Then add 2 teaspoons rice flour. Rice flour is optional and you can skip if you want. Rice flour is used for thickening.
- Mix very well and cook the kootu for 5 to 6 minutes till the dal comes to a gentle boil. do stir while dal is cooking, so that the lentils do not stick to the base of the pan. Switch off the flame and cover the pan.
tempering for cabbage kootu
- Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Then add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon urad dal. Fry till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden. Instead of coconut oil, you can also use sesame oil (gingelly oil) or peanut or sunflower oil.
- Then add 10 to 12 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Stir and then switch off the flame.
- Pour the tempered ingredients in the cabbage kootu. Cover the pan for 5 minutes so that the tempering flavours infuse in the kootu.
- Then add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Coriander leaves are optional and you can skip if you do not have.
- Serve cabbage kootu with steamed rice.
Just learning to cook, from your recipes. Well illustrated. I took this dish from your listing, and it came out great too. Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback and the rating. Good to know.
Thank you very much for a nice recipe… I tried it…came out well… Very Happy
Thank you so much for this recipe! Was so bored of usual dal recipe and forgot I could try this, came out fantastic! Thank you!! ????????????????????????
welcome sara and thanks for the review and rating on cabbage kootu recipe.
I was too lazy to grind the the spices and coconut together, but it still tasted great. Thank you.
thanks susan for the review and the rating. coconut add flavors to any dish it is made. even without grating, the cabbage kootu will taste good.
Every time I am at a loss for what to cook, I come over to your website and find exactly what I need. It’s amazing how your recipes always work out well. Truly appreciate the good work!
Thanks Aathira for your positive feedback on recipes. Glad to know that website is helpful.
Delicious! Thank you for this recipe!
welcome ziba.
Thanks for the receipe.. my husband loved it
Welcome Durga
Can i use dry coconut instead of fresh?
you can use dry coconut. the taste will be different with dry coconut, but will taste good.
We once again had a great dinner – thank you! Your Kootu recipe is fabulous and reminds me of childhood days. Even my girls enjoyed the food. The big one (6 yrs) had 4! plates and the lil one (1yr) had 3! Glad they left a little bit over for me and my hubby ; ). I’m a huge fan of yours!
thanks a lot vimala. glad that your daughters enjoyed the cabbage kootu 🙂
Hi….and no of whistles required?!….2 to 3 is enough or what?…especially for moong daal
yashwiin, 3 to 4 whistles will do. number of whistle depends upon the quality of moong dal.
Can we pressure cook dal n cabbage
yes harshya, you can pressure cook both dal and cabbage together. overall add 1 to 1.25 cups water if pressure cooking.