This is an old family recipe. There are many different kinds of kootu but this is one of my favorites. There's no onion or garlic in iyengar dishes and there are many reasons why - cultural, religious, scientific, you name it. For instance, according to Ayurveda, garlic and onions are classified as rajasic and tamasic foods which increase passion and ignorance and Iyengars cook with only sattvic foods - a kind that instills goodness. While it's true that onions and garlic have some health benefits, I avoid them on most days because I prefer not to have pungent smell coming out of my pores.

Ingredients:

1. Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp

2. Urad dal - 1 tbsp

3. shredded coconut - 1/2 cup

4. Dry red chillies - 1

5. Squash - 1

6. Spinach - 1 cup (optional)

7. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

8. Asafoetida -1 tsp

9. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

10. Coconut oil - 1 tsp

11. Salt to taste

12. Water - 3 cups

Procedure:

1. Boil squash and spinach with curry leaves and asafoetida in just enough water to cover the squash ( I had just 1 squash so I added spinach) - about 5-8 minutes. You could also microwave with a bit of water.

2. Meanwhile, dry roast ingredients 1 through 4 for a few minutes and grind into a smooth paste with 1-2 tbsp of water. (Watch the stove closely as urad dal tends to burn fast. It's done when the urad dal is about a nice shade of light brown. I added frozen shredded coconut in the end to bring the temperature down to stop the cooking process.)

2. Mix the paste from step 2 with the boiled vegetables in step 1 (Do not discard the water used in the boiling process). Continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add salt at this stage.

3. Temper mustard seeds in coconut oil and stir into the mixture.

4. Serve hot with rice.