Vegetable Kootu
South Indian lentil and vegetable stew with coconut.
Ingredients
- 150 g Moong dal (yellow split mung)
- 2 Carrot
- 150 g Green beans
- 150 ml Coconut milk
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Brown mustard seeds
- 10 Curry leaves
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 240 g Basmati rice
Method
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Rinse the dal and chop the carrot and beans.
- Simmer the dal and vegetables with turmeric until soft, about 18 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk and warm through.
- Heat the coconut oil over medium heat and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves; once the seeds pop, pour this over the kootu.
- Serve with rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Vegetable Kootu
Vegetable Kootu is a gentle South Indian stew that sits somewhere between a dal and a vegetable curry, common in Tamil and Kerala home cooking as an everyday accompaniment to rice. It is built on yellow moong dal simmered soft with vegetables like carrot and green beans, then enriched with coconut milk for a mild, slightly sweet finish. The defining touch is the tempering of mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves in coconut oil poured over the top at the end, which perfumes the whole pot. Turmeric gives it color and a faint earthiness without adding heat.
The texture is soft and creamy, the lentils breaking down to thicken the stew while the vegetables hold their shape, and the coconut keeps the flavor rounded and comforting rather than spicy. It is high in fiber and light, making it an easy vegan main or side. Traditionally kootu is spooned over steamed rice, often as part of a larger South Indian meal alongside sambar or rasam. At about thirty-five minutes it is a low-effort, nourishing way to turn a handful of vegetables and a cup of dal into something satisfying.
Vegetable Kootu: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Vegetable Kootu?
A serving has about 542 calories — 16.4g protein, 82.7g carbs, 17.4g fat, 10.8g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Vegetable Kootu gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Vegetable Kootu has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Vegetable Kootu take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 14 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Vegetable Kootu make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.