Keerai Kootu /Amaranth Leaves Kootu

Green leafy vegetables are rich source of many important nutrients like calcium, iron, beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin C and riboflavin. No doubt it occupies an important place in our daily diet. It helps prevent certain degenerative diseases and some forms of cancer. Without leafy vegetables I feel my lunch is incomplete. This keerai kootu recipe is a request from one of my blogger friend. It was there in my mind for a long time, only now the time has come to post it. Coming to the recipe, you can use both the leaves and tender stems of the plant. This is a very simple, healthy and tasty recipe. Today we will learn how to make keerai kootu following this easy recipe.

Keerai Kootu-Mulai Keerai Kootu

 Prep Time : 10 mins

 Cook Time : 20 mins 
 Serves: 3-4
 Recipe Category: Side Dish
 Recipe Cuisine: South Indian-Tamil Brahmin
 Author:Padhu Sankar

   Ingredients needed

   Mulai keerai/ Amaranth Leaves -2 bunches
   Split yellow moong dal/pasi paruppu - 1/4 cup
   Turmeric powder - a pinch

   For Grinding

   Coconut (grated) -3 tbsp
   Cumin seeds -3/4 tsp
   Red chillies - 1- 2
   Raw Rice or rice flour -1/2 tsp

   For the seasoning

   Oil -1 tsp
   Mustard – ½ tsp
   Urad dal -1/2 tsp
   Red chilli -1
   Asafoetida/hing – a pinch

Preparation

Cut the roots of the greens and discard it. Wash greens/keerai well 2-3 times. Chop it finely.

Grind the ingredients given under grinding to a smooth paste. If using raw rice, soak it in hot water for 10 minutes before grinding. Raw rice or rice flour is used only for thickening.

Cook dal until soft adding a pinch of turmeric powder. Keep it aside.

Method

Bring 1/2 cup of water to boil, add chopped greens, salt and cook until soft. Mash it well.

Add the ground paste, cooked dal and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dal, red chilli and hing. When dal turns golden brown, pour the seasoning over the kootu.

Serve with rice (rasam or sambar sadam).This kootu tastes delicious when mixed with hot steamed rice topped with a tsp of ghee. Potato curry goes well with this keerai sadam. Kids will love it very much.

Variations - You can prepare the same kootu with arai keerai or siru keerai or spinach instead of mulai keerai.

Another easy method using pressure cooker - Take a pressure pan or small cooker, add the chopped greens, moong dal, turmeric powder and pressure cook for 1 whistle. When pressure subsides, open the cooker, mash the greens well, add the ground paste and boil for 3-4 minutes. Then sesaon the keerai. Serve hot with rice.

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