Vegetable Kootu

0/4

Work top to bottom — prep ahead while timers run

Gather everything first, then follow the steps

Protein· 1

  • 40 g red lentils (dry, rinsed)40g

Vegetables· 2

  • 80 g cabbage (shredded)80g
  • 40 g carrot (diced)40g

Sauces· 1

  • 2 g mustard(staple)2g

Spices· 4

  • 1 g cumin(staple)1g
  • 1 g turmeric(staple)1g
  • 1 sprig curry leaves(optional)1g
  • pinch of salt(staple)2g

Fats & oils· 2

  • 8 g desiccated coconut8g
  • 5 g cooking oil (1 tsp)(staple)5g
  1. 10 min · hands-free

    Rinse the red lentils, add the turmeric and about 250 ml water, and simmer over medium heat for 10 min until soft and collapsing.

    Why? Red lentils need no soaking and break down into a soft purée in 10 min — they are this dish's plant protein, giving nearly 10 g a serving, hearty yet lighter than an oily curry.

    Tip: Top up a splash of water if it dries out, keeping it loose enough to stir.

    10:00

    Next up:Add the shredded cabbage, diced carrot and a pinch of salt, then cook 5 more min until the vegetables soften.

  2. 5 min · hands-free

    Add the shredded cabbage, diced carrot and a pinch of salt, then cook 5 more min until the vegetables soften.

    Why? Adding the vegetables later keeps their sweetness and fibre intact — cabbage and carrot push the fibre up, so you feel full longer and blood sugar rises slowly.
    05:00

    Next up:Stir in the desiccated coconut and cook 1 min so its aroma melts into the broth, then adjust the salt.

  3. Stir in the desiccated coconut and cook 1 min so its aroma melts into the broth, then adjust the salt.

    Why? Just 8 g of coconut gives the authentic kootu aroma with almost no extra load — the traditional version pours in a cup of thick coconut milk and doubles the calories.

    Next up:In a small pan, heat 1 tsp oil and temper the mustard, cumin and curry leaves until they crackle, then pour the hot tempering over the stew and stir through.

  4. In a small pan, heat 1 tsp oil and temper the mustard, cumin and curry leaves until they crackle, then pour the hot tempering over the stew and stir through.

    Why? Finishing with a hot tempering (tadka) releases the spices' aroma in an instant, so one teaspoon of oil perfumes the whole pot — far less fat than cooking in oil throughout.

    Tip: Pull it off the heat the moment the mustard seeds pop; burnt seeds turn bitter.