Pasala Keerai kootu

I sometimes have a guilt feeling, that i am not cooking or blogging healthy food. i wonder how much effort i put on learning to bake and make all those cakes or bread made with maida / plain flour. On comparing, i decided to blog about greens recipes and some least known traditional recipes here after. hope you all will agree with me and look forward for the healthy and good recipes here and there:)

So how many of you have confusion on which is pasala keerai and palak keerai? they both are different and which one is called spinach? any idea? please clarify me.

This pasalai keerai kootu is one of the delicious green recipe. definitely this is not a boring green recipe, so give a try.

                                                        Pasalai keerai kootu

serves - 2

preparation and cooking time - less than 40 mins

recipe adapted from cook at ease

Ingredients:

Pasalai keerai - 1 bunch
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
Garlic - 4 (crushed)
Toor dal - 1/4 cup

for tempering:

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Vadagam - 1/4 tsp
Dry red chilli - 1
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp

To roast and grind

Dhania - 1 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Dry red chilli - 1
Cumin - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook the toor dal in a cup of water with a drop of sesame oil, a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of hing for about 4 or 5 whistles.

Clean the pasalai keerai in a stariner under clean water. once washed and drained, chop the leaves and set aside.

Heat a pan, add one tsp of oil, add finely chopped onion, and saute well till it turns translucent, next add the crushed garlic, tomatoes and saute them in medium flame till the tomatoes mix well with the onions. add a pinch of turmeric, salt & mix well.

Now add the chopped pasalai keerai to the pan and saute the leaves along with the onions and tomatoes till the leaves wrinkle and get cooked. once the leaves are cooked, add the boiled and mashed toor dal and the grounded coconut paste and mix well. add salt to taste and little water as per the consistency you require. let it boil in medium flame for about 2 mins and switch off the flame.

In a small tadka pan, heat a tsp of oil, add mustard and let it pop, then add vadagam, cumin and hing. in a very low flame saute them for few seconds and the tempering to the keerai.

Serve the keerai kootu with hot rice and with appalam or potato roast.

 Notes:

You can use moong dal instead of toor dal.
Add more red chilli, if you prefer the kootu spicy.