Cucumber Kootu

Cucumber kootu is a delicious South Indian dish made with cucumber, lentils, and coconut. It is a simple and healthy dish that can be served with rice or chapati.  Enjoy your cucumber kootu!

Cucumber Kootu

Recipe by S Kamala
Course: KootuCuisine: Indian, TamilDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes

Looking for a delicious side dish to complement your spicy kuzhambu? Try this cucumber kootu recipe, perfect with Chapati/roti too!

Ingredients

  • Cucumber – 1

  • Green Gram Dhal – 1/4 cup

  • Sambar powder – 1/2 teaspoon

  • Turmeric powder – a pinch

  • Coconut Gratings – 1 tablespoon (optional)

  • Salt – ½ teaspoon or as per taste

  • For seasoning:
  • Oil – 1 teaspoon

  • Mustard – ½ teaspoon

  • Urad Dal – 1 teaspoon

  • Asafoetida powder – 2 pinches

  • Onion chopped – 1 tablespoon

  • Tomato chopped – 1 tablespoon

  • Curry leaves – few

  • Coriander Leaves- few

Directions

  • Peel the cucumber and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
  • In an open vessel, cook the green gram dal with sufficient water and a pinch of turmeric powder. Continue cooking until the dal becomes soft and tender.
  • Add the prepared cucumber pieces to the cooked dal. Sprinkle in some sambar powder and salt for flavor. Stir the mixture well and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the cucumber becomes soft.
  • Incorporate grated coconut into the mixture, stirring thoroughly to combine.
  • In a separate small kadai or frying pan, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Once hot, add mustard seeds and wait for them to start popping. Follow this with urad dal, a pinch of asafoetida powder, curry leaves, and finely chopped onion. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes to the kadai and cook briefly until they soften.
  • Transfer this seasoning mixture to the dal-cucumber blend and mix well to evenly distribute the flavors.
  • Garnish the dish with freshly chopped coriander leaves before serving.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Adding coconut is optional. You can also grind the coconut along with little cumin and add to the kootu.

15 Comments

  1. Jennifer Kumar, Cross-Cultural Coach

    Thanks for posting this. I have bookmarked it. I like this dish very much and will try to make it sometime.

  2. Hi Jennifer,

    Thank you.

    Pl try and let me know your feedback.

  3. Cucumber tastes good with the right mix of seasoning.

  4. Ambika Keshav

    Hi Kamalas,
    First of all thanks for all your postings it is very helpful to for our younger generation like me to try different variety with the healthier foods.

    Now i am in need of recipe of vengayam ( Onion ) thal can you post it

  5. Hello

    This is Swetha

    I was surfing and came across your website. I really liked it and got to know new recipes.

    Please keep me posted for your new recipes

    Thanks
    Swetha

  6. Hi i really have to say that u have done a wonderful job and all the recipes that i have tried almost r very superb and nothing has gone wrong so good job and keep goin. this website is a boon for younger generation

  7. Hi Kamala,
    Your recipes are very nice. A small clarification before i try this recipe. You have added the ingredients “green gram dal” and Sambar powder, but the color for the recipe in the image looks yellow. Please let me know is there any other dal we can use.

    • Hi Kalpana,

      Green gram dhal is split yellow moong dhal. Cooking the yellow moong dhal with turmeric powder make the dish yellow only. Moreover I have added only 1/2 teaspoon sambar powder. Hence kootu looks yellow. You can use Thuvar dhal also for kootu. In such case cook thuvar dhal in pressure cooker and use.

  8. divya paneer

    Hi kamala mam just addicted to your recipes
    I have a small doubt do we have to fry onion and add it to that cucumber dhal mix at the last seperately???

  9. Hi,

    I tried this recipe. It turned out really good. Thanks for posting.

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