KAVATHU PUZHUKU (ASIAN YAM SUBZI), KAVATHU KOOTU

Kavathu puzhuku, kootu  or asian yam subzi is very simple and easy to make.  My mother used to make this during Thiruvathira festival along with thiruvathira-kali.  Normal days also, she used to make to have it with rice.  During thirvathira, along with kavathu, we also put some other vegetables and it goes well with rice, chapati too.

Let us look at the recipe now:

Ingredients;

1/4 kg asian yam (kavathu, perumvalli kizhangu, kandh)
100 gms red pumpkin
50 gms tuvar fresh or green peas
a small piece of carrot   ( cut into cubes)
8-9 avarakka (papdi flat beans)
a small piece of sweet potato or normal potato (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4-5 green chillies
1/4 cup  fresh grated coconut
1 tbsp curry powder (optional)
salt as per taste

seasoning

2  tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
few curry leaves
1-2 red chilli broken

or

2 tbs coconut oil

Method:

Remove the strings of papdi and cut into 1/2" pcs.  Remove the skin of pumpkin and cut into cubes.  cut the carrot into cubes.  Peel the asian yam, cut into cubes and put in water.  wash properly as it has got a sticky nature. cut the potato or sweet potato into cubes.   heat water in a vessel and put  the yam in it. boil for few minutes and remove the water so that the stickiness is removed from it.  Again pour hot water and put all the vegetables, green chilly  in it along with turmeric powder, salt and cook till  they are soft.  add the curry powder and cook for two minutes. add the grated coconut season with the items mentioned  or alternatively you can just add only coconut oil instead of adding seasoning.

serve hot with chapati, rice and thiruvathira kali or koova kali (arrow root)


Variation:  you can also grind coconut, green chilly, cumin seeds and add to this.

curry powder:  1 tbs rice dry roast, 1-2 red chilli dry roast, 1 tbsp chana dal dry roast and powder the same.