Mochai/Mochakottai/Field Beans Kootu

Posted on by tingleurtastebuds

Kootu or Poriyal is something prepared in South Indian cooking on everyday basis. This is to give a soothing compliment along with the spicy gravy(Kuzhambu) you make everyday. Yes South Indian lunch has to have a rice with any type of spicy gravy – Kuzhambu or Sambar, and a kootu or poriyal and a masala. This is a complete lunch menu of a South Indian family. It’s good as there are atleast three vegetables in your menu.

Let’s get started with this kootu recipe. It’s made using Mochai also called Field Beans or Hyacinth Beans. It is available fresh or dried. I have used the fresh variety. If using dried soak it overnight for the next days cooking. I have removed the outer skin of the beans after boiling them. It tastes yumm. But this step can be skipped.

This Kootu is a recipe from my mom. She makes this whenever the beans are in season. This kootu is also made for the pongal celebration. Maybe next year will post a special post on the pongal preparation. It’s a lot of cooking done. Let’s get to the recipe. Do try and let me know if you liked it.

MOCHAI/MOCHAKOTTAI/FIELD BEANS KOOTU

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Side Dishes for Rice | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 10 mins | Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • Oil – 1 tsp.
  • Butter – 1/2 tsp.
  • Mochai/Field Beans – 1 cup (Fresh – Boiled and the skin peeled)
  • Onion – 1 No. (Small Sized – chopped as shown)
  • Toor Dal – 1/4 cup (Cooked until 3/4th done)
  • Sambar Powder – 1 tsp. (Increase or Decrease accordingly)
  • Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp. (Grated – Fresh)
  • Cumin/Seeragam – 1/2 tsp.
  • Urad Dal/Ulunthu – 1/2 tsp.
  • Curry Leaves – A small Spring
  • Salt as needed

METHOD with VISUAL CLICKS

Get all the ingredients ready. Pre-cook the Toor dal.
This is the fresh Mochai/Field Beans.
Take the Mochai/Field Beans in pressure cooker with little bit more water and add required amount of salt to it.
Pressure cook the Mochai/Field Beans until soft and it should be easy to peel open the skin.
After that just change water once and let the beans stay in the water. Now start peeling the skin.
Take little oil and butter in a pan.
Temper Cumin seeds.
After that add the urad dal.
And then curry leaves.
Now add the chopped onion.
After the onion gets cooked add the sambar powder.
Immediately add the 3/4 th cooked toor dal.
Mix everything well.
Now add the peeled Mochai/Field Beans.
Add little water to it. Cover and cook for sometime till everything blends together.
Finally just before switching off the stove add the grated coconut.
The Mochai/Field Beans kootu is ready to be served with rice and sambar.

Note : My mochai has become a bit oxidized in color. Generally it is green in color.

Peeling the skin is purely optional. But the taste is yumm when done. It takes a lot of time for peeling so plan accordingly and then cook.

If the Mochai/Field Beans has been cooked well then just cook the final steps on the stove, if it is not cooked well then add the Mochai/Field Beans to the onion and toor dal and pressure cook for just one whistle in medium flame. Add the grated coconut after the pressure gets released.

The Toor Dal is cooked until 3/4th done. Can cook this beforehand or can cook after cooking the Mochai/Field Beans.

Adding little butter to kootu is always flavourful.

The Mochai/Field Beans Kootu is ready to be served with any Combination of Rice & Sambar or Rice & Rasam of your choice. Try and let me know if you liked it.

37 thoughts on “Mochai/Mochakottai/Field Beans Kootu”

    1. Hi Latha. Actually the fresher the beans is the taste is good. When you keep it so long in the fridge then the taste gets bitter and a flavor also comes. Try using them immediately after you buy. Then it will be good.

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      2. You are welcome and another tip is that if you are not able to prepare any dish using the fresh beans immediately store them in the freezer section so it doesn’t get bad. Thanks for stopping by. Have a good day dear. 😘😘

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  4. Hi Latha, you need not peel the skin. It has also some nutrition. The spiciness​/sourness​/salt in masala or Curry in which u are adding the beans should be slightly on the higher side so that you won’t get a bitter taste once cooked. When cooked like this, we can get it’s whole health benefits.

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  12. nobody ever made this kind of kootu at my place. got to try it!! i mean.. there was never a kootu with pulses/beans.. it was always about vegetable kootu like cabbage and some or the other gourd! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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