This vendakkai kootu is very common in my home and is a favorite among my kids. Not many make kootu with ladies finger. If you have not tried making this kootu, I recommend you to try this dish. It is called vendakkai puli kootu as we use tamarind for preparing this. This is my mother’s style of making vendakkai kootu with tomatoes. My aunty makes vendakkai puli pachadi without tomatoes but my kids do not like that. Today let us learn how to make Okra/Ladies finger kootu or vendakkai puli kootu following this easy recipe with step wise pictures.
Watch the video of making Vendakkai Kootu
How to make Vendakkai Puli Kootu
Ingredients needed
Ladies finger – ½ kg (around 3 cups chopped)
Ripe tomatoes – 3 medium size or 1 cup chopped
Green chillies – 3 slit
Tamarind – small gooseberry sized ball
Sambar powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt as needed
Rice flour – 1 tsp
For the seasoning
Oil – 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Hing – a pinch
Curry leaves – a sprig
Preparation
Wash ladies finger well and wipe it dry otherwise it will be sticky. Discard the head and the tail and cut it into roundels.
Method
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add hing and curry leaves.
Then add ladies finger, turmeric powder, sambar powder, green chillies, salt needed and cook on medium heat.
When the ladies finger is three fourth cooked, add finely chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Then add diluted tamarind extract and boil well on medium heat till the raw flavor goes.
Mix 1 tsp of rice flour with 1/4 cup of water without lumps. It is added to thicken the kootu slightly. Add the rice flour mixture to the kootu and cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat. The consistency of this vendakkai kootu should neither be thick nor too thin.
Note – If you kootu is tangy and very sour, you have added more tamarind. Reduce the tamarind the next time when you make this kootu. Tamarind water should be very thin.
Ladiesfinger Puli Kootu is a tamarind based dish prepared with ladiesfinger, tomato and spices. It goes very well with rice. It is a very common everyday dish in Tamil Brahmin household.
- 500 grams Lady's finger (around 3 cups chopped)
- 3 Ripe tomatoes (3 medium size or 1 cup chopped)
- 3 slit Green chillies
- Tamarind (small gooseberry sized ball)
- 2 tsp Sambar Powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt as needed
- 1 tsp Rice Flour
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 pinch Asafoedita/hing
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
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Wash ladies finger well and wipe it dry otherwise it will be sticky. Discard the head and the tail and cut it into roundels.
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Soak tamarind in hot water for 20 minutes and extract 1 cup of diluted tamarind water. Discard the pulp. If using tamarind paste, dilute 3/4 tsp of paste with a cup of water. You do not need much tamarind for this dish.
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Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add hing and curry leaves.
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Then add ladies finger, turmeric powder, sambar powder, green chillies, salt needed and cook on medium heat.
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When the ladies finger is three fourth cooked, add finely chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
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Then add diluted tamarind extract and boil well on medium heat till the raw flavor goes.
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Mix 1 tsp of rice flour with 1/4 cup of water without lumps. Add the rice flour mixture to the kootu and cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes and switch off the heat. The consistency of this vendakkai kootu should neither be thick nor too thin.
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Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
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Serve as a side dish for rasam or sambar or you can make any thogayal along with this.
If you kootu is tangy and very sour, you have added more tamarind. Reduce the tamarind the next time when you make this kootu. Tamarind water should be very thin.
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Hi…wish u and your family a very happy & a prosperous diwali..hope it bring u lots of happiness and luck…have a great time and take care…and nice recipe as well…looks healthy and delicious
hello Padhu. Thanks for visiting my site. I see that you have a lot of traditional dishes in here. Keep them coming 🙂
Hellow Padhu,
I am in Delhi and fond of your receipes. Recently I tadted a koottu of Bindi with coconut and it was a bit tanks also.It tasted yummy.If you have any thing of this sort please post.
Sachidanandan
Hi padhu,
I always like ur recipes and tried them out also.
Very nice recipe, I like ur recipes which is almost similar to my grandma's preparations, and I remembered her
Hi padhu I'm very big fan of ur recipes I often cook in ur style really love it thank u so much.
Hi,
Your recipes are excellent and easy to try.I am benefited very much from your posts.
sundar
chennai
Nice