Radish is very good for health. We can make many different recipes with Radish. One delicious South Indian Recipe is Radish Kootu. Its a simple and yummy stew made with chopped radish, peanuts, moong dal and coconut spice paste. In Radish Peanut Stew we additionally add Peanuts for extra crunchy bites and taste.
What is Kootu (South Indian Stew) ?
Kootu or Stew is one of the important part of South Indian Meal. We make stew with lots of different vegetables. We can make very yummy and rich kootu with Cabbage, Cucumber, Snake gourd, Ridge Gourd, mixed veggies etc. Most of the veggies which are rich in water content would be a perfect veggie for kootu. We usually add ground coconut to get taste and right consistency. Here, we are going to see how to make yummy and rich Radish Peanut Kootu. We can make kootu with radish alone, but adding peanuts makes it even more tastier.
Benefits of Radish :
Radish is an edible root vegetable with pungent taste. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, radish is rich in various nutrients which include potassium, calcium, sodium, and vitamin C. Radishes are very good for the liver and stomach and act as a powerful detoxifier too. It is still considered by many to be an effective home remedy for Jaundice. There are countless reasons why radishes are a good addition to your diet, but improving your immune system is one of the most important benefits. Eating half cup of radishes daily in a salad or just as a snack provides nearly 15 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C. Radishes are very filling, which mean that they satisfy your hunger without running up the calorie count. They are also low in digestible carbohydrates, high in insoluble fiber, and contain a large water content. Thus they are a very good dietary option for those who are determined to lose weight. Whether it is to improve digestive health, enhance your skin, or just incorporate more vegetables into your diet, you can’t go wrong with nutrient-packed power food radishes!
Different variations of making Radish Kootu
We can use different variations to make Radish Kootu. Some of the common methods are
- With Coconut & Jeera - This is very simple and traditional method where we grind coconut along with red chili and jeera and add the coconut paste to the kootu. We use this method generally for other vegetable kootu as well. Refer this link for the full recipe made using this method
- With Masalas - Fry the coriander seeds, red chili, coconut, etc., grind them to a fine paste and add it to the kootu
- Variations in the dal being used - Instead of Moong dal, add Toor Dal
In this recipe, we are using the 2nd method highlighted above.
Recipe Card:
Radish Peanut Kootu | Mullangi Kootu
Ingredients
- 200 gms Radish Chopped to small cubes
- ¼ Cup Moong Dal 1 Cup - 250ml
- 2 tablespoon Raw Peanuts
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt As Needed
For Grinding
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Split Bengal Gram (Channa Dal / Kadalaparuppu)
- 2 Red Chili
- ¼ Cup Grated Coconut
For Tempering
- 2 teaspoon Coconut Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Split Urad Dal
- Few Curry Leaves
Instructions
Cooking Radish
- Wash the radish thoroughly, peel and chop it into small cubes
- Take chopped radish in a vessel. Add moong dal and raw peanuts along with turmeric powder. Add water and pressure cook for 3 whistles
Grinding Process
- Heat oil in a pan. Add Coriander seeds, bengal gram (Chana dal), red chili and fry till dal turns golden brown
- Take the grinding ingredients to the mixer jar along with grated coconut and grind it to smooth paste and set it aside
Tempering Process
- Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Add split urad dal and fry till light brown. Then throw in few curry leaves and sauté for few seconds
- Now, add cooked radish with dal and peanuts and give a good mix.
- Add necessary salt. Its time to add Coconut Spice paste and mix well.
- Boil the kootu for another 2 mins and then switch off the flame
- The healthy and tasty Radish Kootu is now ready to serve. Serve with hot steaming rice or as a side dish to any South Indian Kuzhambu or Rasam Varieties.
Video
Notes
- Instead of grinding coriander seeds, bengal gram and red chili along with coconut, we can simply grind coconut with red chili and cumin and add this coconut paste
- Coconut oil is always a better choice for kootu varieties. It really adds a nice flavor
Nutritional Info
Method with step by step picture:
- Peel the radish(Mullangi) skin and wash the the same in the water. Then chop it to smaller pieces and keep it aside
- Pressure cook moong dal, groundnut and radish with turmeric powder and salt.
- Smash the cooked dal and keep it aside
- Heat some oil in pan, add red chilli, gram dal, coriander seeds and fry till the gram dal changes to golden brown color. Remove from flame and add it to mixer
- Add grated coconut to the mixer and grind it to a nice paste.
- Heat some oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add urdal and fry till it turns golden brown color
- To this add broken curry leaves and cooked chopped radish and cooked groundnut and mix well
- Add the smashed dal and ground coconut paste and allow the mixture to boil
- Add water if necessary to make it to a kootu consistency
- When the kootu starts to boil, remove from flame.
- The yummy radish kootu is ready to serve with sambar
You might also want to try the different version of Radish Kootu using another method
