To begin making the Mulakootal recipe, prepare all the ingredients and keep them ready for easy cooking.
First prepare the vegetables. Wash, peel, and dice all your chosen vegetables. Into a pressure cooker, add the vegetables along with a sprinkle of salt and 1/4 cup of water. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and keep aside.
Rinse the Arhar dal thoroughly under running water. In the same pressure cooker, cook the Arhar dal along with 3/4 cup of water for 2 whistles. After 2 whistles, turn the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Once released, open the lid and lightly mash the dal and keep aside.
Next step is to roast the spices for the coconut paste.
In a small pan, dry roast the urad dal (2 teaspoon) and dry red chillies (3) over low to medium heat for 2–3 minutes or until you get a nutty aroma and a slight golden color on the dal.
Take care not to burn them; stir continuously.
Transfer the roasted urad dal and chillies to a mixer/grinder. Add the grated fresh coconut and cumin seeds.
Grind to a smooth paste, adding a little water if required. The consistency of this paste determines the creaminess of your Mulakootal recipe.
Final step is to combine vegetables, dal & coconut paste. Into a large pan, add the cooked vegetables, pour in the boiled and mashed dal and stir in the freshly ground coconut paste.
Turn on the heat to medium, let the Mulakootal mixture simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. This allows the flavors to blend beautifully and ensures there’s no raw coconut taste left. Check the salt and adjust according to taste.
To prepare the tempering (tadka), in a small tadka pan, heat the coconut oil.
Add mustard seeds; once they begin to splutter, toss in the 1 teaspoon of urad dal, the dry red chilli, and a handful of curry leaves.
Sauté this for about 2 minutes, until the urad dal becomes golden brown, crisp and aromatic.
Pour the tempering over the simmering Mulakootal. Give your Mulakootal recipe a final stir.
Adjust salt if needed and transfer to a serving bowl, and serve piping hot.
Enjoy Mulakootal with steaming hot rice for a true taste of Kerala’s heritage. You can also pair it with a simple pickle or papad on the side. For a more complete meal, serve it alongside a crunchy salad or a yogurt-based raita.
