Kootan Choru. (Mixed vegetable rice).

Introduction:
This is a very simple "one pot cooking "(that means you can cook the entire dish with one pot).It is a dish cooked without a drop of oil.It is a famous main course among village kids of Tamilnadu, India.
I can remember my childhood days , while cooking this food. During summer vacations my mom chose a full moon night for a family get together in our backyard garden.In the evening she used to teach us to cut the vegetables and to help her to cook this aromatic dinner. we love those Kootanchoru nights very much.My mom and aunts grind the garnishing masala and "Paruppu thovaiyal" (kind of toor dhal chutney) in a hand mortar. we help her in bringing water, kindling the fire etc.
After cooking we used to sit in a row in our open terrace and will have that wonderful kootan choru with appalam (pappadam) and paruppu thovaiyal. Happy Memories !
Even today i try cooking that Kootan choru here in USA as a Sunday lunch. Though we cannot cook it outside , the flavor remains almost the same. Just try this different but "authentic Tamil dish" in your home and have fun

Ingredients: (for 2 people)
Rice - 200 gms(1 cup)
Thoor dhal- 100 gms (1/2 cup)
Turmeric - a pinch.
Asafoetida - a pinch.
tamarind - small gooseberry size.
salt.
To grind :
grated coconut - 3 spoons.
cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon.
garlic- 2 pearls.(optional)
Red chillies - 3 numbers.
vegetables:
unripe banana- 1 small size.
brinjal/ eggplant - 2 small.
drumstick - 1.
carrot -1 .
spinach or murungakeerai (leaf of drumstick) - a handful.
red onion - 1/2.

Method:
Soak the thoor dhal for 1/2 and hour. cut the vegetables into big pieces.Bring 4 cups of water to boil and add thoor dhal, turmeric, asafoetida. cook it almost soft. Then add rice and vegetables. After everything gets 100% cooked add tamarind extract and salt. Add some more water and let the rice be in a semi solid state. Then grind the items mentioned above into a coarse mixture and add it to the rice. Reduce the flame and Cover it. After 10 minutes put off the flame . Now Kootan choru is ready.
Serving suggestions:
Serve it hot with Paruppu thovaiyaland Appalam. Look for my recipe for paruppu thovaiyal.
Serves for 2 .