Murungakkai Kootu Saaru/Drumstick Kootu Saaru - Kongu Nadu Special

After chettinad cuisine,one of my favourite cuisine is Kongunadu cuisine, i always want to explore this cuisine.I love arusi paruppu saadham very much from Kongunadu Cuisine, whenever i feel like having a simple one pot meal, i'll go immediately for their popular arusi paruppu saadham. This fingerlicking kootu saaru is from a supplement named 30 varieties of Kongu Nadu Samayal, i have cooked already a fantastic dish from this supplement. You check the another gravy here. While going through this supplement, the name of this dish attracted me immediately, actually we make kootu with cooked dal but this gravy is completely different and goes for a combination of tamarind and roasted dal based masala paste. Sounds interesting na, after cooking this gravy, when i tasted with rice this kootu tastes between kuzhambu aka tamarind based gravy and dal.

Without any spice powder, this gravy is definitely something interesting to try and taste with rice or idlies.Shallots are used in this kootu saaru in both grinding part and for tempering, slightly crushed shallots used in tempering this dish gives a wonderful flavor to this tangy kootu saaru. If you want to make something different from the usual kootu curries, just go through this dish and try once, am sure you will definitely love this gravy.This post goes  for the CC Challenge of the month.

2nos Drumstick (chopped lengthwise)
2cups Tamarind extract
1/2tsp Turmeric powder
Oil
Salt
1/2tsp Mustard seeds
1/2tsp Urd dal
2nos Dry red chillies
Few curry leaves
8-10nos Shallots (crushed slightly)

To roast and grind:
2tbsp Toor dal
1tbsp Coriander seeds
3nos Dry red chillies
1/2cup Shallots

Heat few drops of oil,roast all the ingredients given under the list to roast and grind, one by one until they gets well roasted.

Now take everything in a mixie jar, grind as fine paste with enough water,keep aside.

In a pan, take the drumstick pieces, tamarind extract, turmeric powder,salt and cook everything in medium flame until the drumstick pieces gets cooked.

Add now the grounded paste and bring everything boil,put in simmer and cook for few minutes.

Put off the stove.

Heat enough oil in a pan, let splutter the mustard seeds, add the urad dal,dry red chillies, curry leaves, fry for few minutes.

Finally add the crushed shallots, fry until the shallots turns transculent.

Add this tempered spices to the already prepared drumstick kootu.

Give a stir and serve with rice or idlies.