PASALA KEERAI KOOTU:
Spinach is loaded with TONS of nutrients with low calorie. It is one of the good source of dietary potassium and magnesium which is important to maintain our human health. Dark leafy greens like spinach provides fiber, iron, potassium, magnesium, protein, minerals, vitamins, folate/Folic acid/ Vitamin B9 (which is the most important especially during pregnancy, it helps to encourage the cells and tissue growth also to DNA Synthesis). We usually incorporate greens in our regular meal and here is the most common and easy recipe from our south.
*you can make this keerai kootu with any kind of keerai/ greens (ponnakanni, manathakkali keerai,mulla keerai/ ara keerai (very common greens in our down south)
Ingredients:
- Spinach – 2 cups
- Pasiparuppu/moong dhal – ½ cup
- Small onion/shallot – 5 nos (halved)
- Tomato – 1 no
- Garlic – 3nos (crushed)
- Cumin seeds/ seeragam – 2tsp
- Asafetida – ¼ tsp
- Manjal podi/Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Grated coconut – 2tblsp
- Water – as req
- Salt – as req
For tempering:
- Gingelly oil – 2 tsp
- Kadugu/ mustard seeds – 1tsp
- Urad dhal/ ulundhu – 1tsp
- Dry red chilli – 3 nos
Procedure:
Step 1:
Wash and cut the onions ,tomato and roughly chop the spinach
In a pressure cooker add moong dhal, small onion, tomato, garlic, 1 tsp cumin seeds, asafetida, and turmeric powder along with the chopped spinach and pour some amount of water as required to your dhal and pressure cook it for about 2 whistles.
Step 2:
Place a kadai add a tsp of gingelly oil, once the oil get hot add mustard seeds and urad dhal and let it splutter, now add the broken red chilies saute for a while, add the tempering into the spinach dhal mixture along with req amount of salt.
Step 3:
Meanwhile grind the coconut and cumin seeds finely and pour the mixture into the kootu and bring it to boil and turn off the flame. Serve hot with a scoop of white rice or chapathi.
