Appala Kootu Recipe

No one will hate the appalam. The crispness of it will make u too crave for another one.  You can always enjoy a meal when u has appalam on ur side. It makes an excellent combination for all the rice varieties and also with the kuzhambu and sambar we make. How it will be when this crispy appalam added to a kootu variety? Interesting!!!

I make this kootu when I don’t have any vegetables in my fridge.  Appala kootu along with kara kuzhambhu makes perfect combination for a week-end meal. I served it with seeraga kuzhambu (recipe coming soon).

Preparation and cooking time: 20-30 mins

Ingredients

¾ cup kadala paruppu/channa dal

1-2 potato

1 onion

1 tomato

2-3 garlic slices

½ inch ginger

¼ tsp fennel seeds/sombhu (optional)

6-7 appalam/ plain pappad

1tsp chilli powder

¾ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Pinch of asofoetida

Salt

2tsp grated coconut

 To temper

½ tsp mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

3-4 red chillies

1 ½ tsp coconut oil

How to make it

• Wash and soak chana dal with 2 cups of water for 20 mins.
• Pressure-cook the dal for 3-4 whistles. Par-boil potato and peel the skin. Chop into small cubes.

•  Grind the ginger, garlic and sombhu together into a smooth paste.
• Once the dal is cooked add the chopped onions, tomatoes and paste to it along with ½ cup of water.
• Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder,asofoetida and salt to the cooked dal.
• Allow it to boil or keep for 1 whistle in medium flame.

• Now add the broken-deep fried pappads with the kootu. Then add the grated coconut to it. Mix completely. 

• Finally temper with the items given and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with any kuzhambu of choice.

Notes:

1. You can par-boil the potatoes separately. I cooked it along with the dal to save time.
2. Sombhu is an optional item to be added. You can either add with the ginger-garlic paste or add while tempering. If u doesn’t like the smell of sombhu, avoid adding it.
3. Generally appala kootu will turn thick once it is cooled down. So add water accordingly.
4. I used to microwave the pappads instead of deep frying. This avoids the usage of oil in the food. Don’t break the pappads tiny ones.
5. Always use coconut oil for making kootu.