KOOTANCHORU RECIPE / கூட்டாஞ்சோறு-TRAVEL LUNCH IDEAS

March 6, 2025 | By
Kootanchoru rice

Tirunelveli famous Kootanchoru @ kadamba sadam is one of the signature recipes of my mom.Mostly Nellai people make this rice for picnic/trips and for guests.This is one of the best foods for travel.It stays good for one to two days without refrigeration.When(me & my sis) we were young,we used to go to thatha,aachi’s house in Nellai for every summer vacation.My periamma and chithi also comes with their family.We go for a one day trip to tiruchendur & kutralam every year.Amma,periamma and chithi together prepare this rice in early morning in a big eeya paanai traditionally for 10-12 people and pack in a big vaali(thooku chatti) for travel.We have this rice for lunch in a  piece of vazhai ilai(banana leaf) after a nice bath in five falls,kutralam. With the awesome smell of banana leaf,it tastes great & we all have minimum of two servingsSmile with tongue out.Vathal/vadagam or  appalam  is the best side dish for kootanchoru.This rice tastes the best after it cools down.

Kootanchoru

Last week my mom was with me for two days.I told her to prepare this rice for our lunch and of course for blogging because some of my Nellai readers asked me to share kootanchoru recipe after trying my uluntham paruppu sadam.I asked my mom to prepare using pressure cooker but mom said making this rice in eeya paanai or indalium vessel or kadai gives the right consistency to the rice,vegetables and tastes great.As she said,it was very flavourful and tasty.But she also told the method on how to make in pressure cooker if needed.I have shared it below .Kootanchoru is very easy to prepare if u have chopped onions & vegetables ready in hand.It takes just 20 minutes to prepare this rice.I personally feel,it is better to do chopping & grinding work the previous night if u plan to make this rice for next day travel.
Sendhil had it for the first time and loved it.We had this rice for lunch and the leftover for dinner too.My mom & dad packed this rice in a foil box & took it for their train journey.Friends,if u plan for a picnic,do prepare this rice.I am sure u can have a delectable lunch.Thumbs up

kadamba-sadam-recipe

Kootanchoru recipe

Kootanchoru recipe Tirunelveli style kootanchoru recipe – Ideal & tasty food for travel !

Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch
Serves: Serves 6-7
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 30 Minutes
Total time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To chop

  • Carrot – 2 nos
  • Beans –  10 nos
  • Potato – 1 no (big)
  • Broad beans – 10 nos
  • Raw banana – 1/2 no
  • Raw mango – 1/2 no
  • Brinjal – 3 nos
  • Drumstick – 1 no
  • Drumstick leaves & arai keerai – a handful

To cook

  • Rice – 1.5cups
  • Toor dal – 1/2 cup
  • Water – 12 cups
  • Tamarind – Small lemon size( use big lemon size if u don’t add raw mangoes)

To grind
Paste -1

  • Red chillies – 12-14 nos

Paste-2

  • Small onions – 30-40 nos (3/4 cup)
  • Garlic cloves – 2 bulbs(small) or 1 bulb if big variety
  • Jeera- 1 tsp

To saute

  • Cooking oil –  1 tbsp
  • Small onions – 15 nos
  • Green chillies – 2 to 4 nos ( adjust)

Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
To temper

  • Gingely oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1 tsp
  • Vadagam – 2-3 tbsp (OR)Small onions-20 nos(finely chopped)
  • Curry leaves – half handful
METHOD

  • Grind red chillies adding required water to make a smooth paste.This is paste-1.Set aside.

Kootanchoru step2

  • Wash and peel the small onions,garlic cloves and grind with jeera& water to make paste-2.

Kootanchoru step1

  • Soak tamarind in enough water.Take the extract using 1.5 cups of water and mix the paste-1 & paste-2,turmeric powder and salt.

Kootanchoru step3

  • Wash and chop all the vegetables of uniform size and keep the raw banana & potato cubes immersed in water till use.Chop drumstick,chop raw mango into big cubes as shown in the picture.

Kootanchoru step4

  • In a big vessel(preferably, eeya paanai or indalium vessel) take the mentioned quantity of water.When the water starts to boil,add toor dal,turmeric powder.Allow it to cook till the dal blossoms.It should be mashable.

Kootanchoru step5

  • After the dal is 3/4th cooked,add all the vegetables & keerai(greens) except raw mango pieces.It takes 10 minutes for all the vegetables to cook.Keep stirring whenever necessary.
  • After 10 minutes,wash and add the rice.Again boil for 10-15 minutes and check whether rice is done.Rice absorbs all the water and gets cooked.Add the required salt.

Kootanchoru step6

  • Check if the rice is cooked properly.Use back of the ladle to mix the rice to avoid it turning too mushy.In the mean time,heat 1tbsp oil in a kadai and saute onions,green chillies & add to rice.

Kootanchoru step7

  • Now add mango pieces.It takes 5 minutes & mango pieces will be half cooked.

Kootanchoru step8

  • Now add the tamarind extract mixture and allow it to boil for 5 minutes in medium flame.Keep stirring every now & then to avoid burnt bottom.
  • Remove the mango pieces alone after it is cooked yet firm in shape else mango will become mushy & mixed with the rice completely leaving the skin.It makes the rice tangy.

Kootanchoru step9

  • Use back of the ladle or fork like ladle to mix the rice.Lastly add grated coconut & mix well. 

Kootanchoru step10

  • Finally, temper all the ingredients given under”to temper” and add to the rice.Rice looks mushy initially but its consistency will get adjusted after it cools down.

Kootanchoru step11
Just before serving,add the cooked raw mango pieces & mix well.

  • Give a standing time of minimum one-two hours because it takes this time for all the taste to blend well with the rice.

Serve with koozh vathal/Vadam..!! Tastes great !!
**Do not use ur hands at any cost while serving.Rice will be spoiled very soon.So always use a ladle.


Note

PRESSURE COOKER METHOD

  • Take toor dal with 2 cups of water in pressure cooker and cook in high flame for 2-3 whistles.
  • Remove the lid and add the rice and chopped vegetables except raw mango.Cook it adding 6 cups of water & salt.
  • After rice is cooked,open the lid and add the sauteed onions,chillies,tamarind extract mixture & raw mango pieces & salt if needed.
  • Allow the raw mango to cook well. Rice absorbs all the tamarind extract mixture.Use fork like ladle to mix the rice.Simmer the flame & boil for few minutes.
  • Lastly add grated coconut & tempered ingredients.Mix well,check for taste.Give a standing time of 1-2 hours & serve with vathal/vadam.

TIPS TIPS

  • If the rice is too spicy,add little tamarind extract & grated coconut.It balances the taste.
  • If the rice is too tangy,add some chilli powder mixed in water & boil for sometime with rice.Add little salt if needed.
  • Adding a handful of drumstick leaves & arai keerai is suggested for this rice.But i din’t add both as i din’t have the stock.
  • Raw mango is purely optional but it gives a nice flavour to this rice.If u don’t add raw mango pieces,use big lemon size tamarind.
  • Adjust the quantity of red chillies based on ur taste buds.But use tamarind in correct quantity if u reduce chillies.

Pack this rice in a foil box for ur travel and enjoy with vadagam/Vathal & appalam.It tastes great !!!
kootanchoru-recipe
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37 thoughts on “KOOTANCHORU RECIPE / கூட்டாஞ்சோறு-TRAVEL LUNCH IDEAS”

  3. Rafeeda AR

    this is really interesting…. I am hearing this for the first time, with all those vegetables, this looks like a must try…

    Reply
  14. Laavanya

    I can't stop thinking about my paati after reading this post – she is from Tirunelveli and made this quite often… Such a tempting array of pictures and wish i could eat some right away….

    Reply
  20. Gita Jaishankar

    The kootanchoru with the vathals looks too good and is an absolute comfort food…thanks for sharing this authentic recipe Chitra :)

    Reply
  22. Hema

    I have heard about this rice, but never tasted it, looking at the ingredients list, I am sure, this should have tasted awesome..

    Reply
  23. Priya

    Kootanchoru name is new to me but kadhamba sadam i heared it somewhere :).My grand ma do it …Yes it seems to be a little long process ,when we cut the veggies the day before really its easy to make them the next day .

    Reply
  24. Unknown

    Back to my childhood days dear!!! Kootanchoru looks amazing…. When we have a family get together, all my aunties, mum used to make this…. Now a days all this old tradition concept has gone….

    Reply
  25. Anonymous

    we are new to this dish but it looks so appetizing and loaded with nutritious vegetable…a healthy and delicious treat for travelling,thanks so much for the inspiration :-)

    Reply
  26. harini

    hi chitra, thanks for the recipe.i was searching for this receipe so long.though i never tasted it,the name itself tempted me.thats why i requested you to share the recipe.thank u once again.surely i will try and give my feedback.i have a doubt,this rice should be of udir udir consistecy like that of veg rice or mashed like sambar sadam, and when to add the keerais.

    Reply
    1. Chitra

      This rice should be like sambar sadam only,but not too mushy.Keerai should be added along with vegetables.I will update in the post too. Thanks Harini.Do try and let me know ur feedback :)

      Reply
  30. Jeba Mathu S

    My son ask the kootanchoru I found your recipe & yesterday cook it.
    Really yummy . . . taste, my son, & my husband like it . . .

    Reply
  32. Vidhya Sundar

    Very nice Chithra, i have tried it twice and it came well. My grandmother used to add asafoetida in this recipe. That is the only missing thing here

    Reply
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