This dish is a yoghurt sauce served with cooked plantain. It is similar to an aviyal, but made with one vegetable only. Other vegetables that can be used instead of the plantain are amaranth stems, chow chow, ash gourd, and plantain stem.

The recipe is one of Meenakshi Ammal’s from her cook books Cook and See. One of our very special projects in the kitchen is to cook through these books, as they are very traditional Tamil recipes.You can find all of Ammal’s dishes that we have made here. Most of them are from Vol 1 so far.

Similar recipes include Moar Kuzhambu, Kerala Aviyal, Pulissery, and Pineapple Pulissery.

Browse all of our Koottu dishes. All of our Indian recipes are here, and our Indian Essentials are here. Or explore our Early Autumn dishes.

Plantain Moar Koottu

ingredients

2 – 3 plantains, peeled and cut into chunks

coconut spice paste

0.25 cup grated coconut

0.5 tspn cumin seeds

0.5 tspn toor dal

2 – 3 Indian dried red chillies, or to taste

0.25 tspn rice

0.5 cup Indian or Greek yoghurt mixed with 0.25 cup water and beaten well

sea salt

tadka

0.5 tspn brown mustard seeds

0.5 tspn black gram dal (urad dal)

6 – 8 curry leaves

2 tspn coconut oil or ghee

method

Simmer the plantain until tender. Drain.

Grind the coconut with cumin seeds, dried chillies and rice until a paste is formed. Beat into the yoghurt, then mix the sauce with the vegetables. Mix well, gently, and bring to a simmer. Then remove from the heat.

Make a tadka by heating the coconut oil, adding the mustard seeds and allow to pop. Then add the black gram dal and allow to turn golden. Then add the curry leaves, they will splutter, then pour over the oil and spices over the koottu, and serve.