Keerai kootu ( Amaranth with dhal )

  This was a  old post , was in the draft for a long time . Though the picture won't look nice , the recipe was so delicious. I will update picture soon.
   This is a famous kootu which is served in the lunch menu. It is healthy as it contains iron and protein from the greens and dhal. Besides , other kootu , it tastes great.

   

Requirements :

Amaranth leaves – a bunch

Red chilly – 1

Green chilly – 2

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Rice - 1/2 tsp

Shallots - - 10

Tomato -1

Tuvar dhal – ½ cup

Oil – 2tbs

Cumin – 1/ 4 tsp

Pepper – 5 corns

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Curry leave – a sprig

Method :

Cook tuvar dhal separately.

Heat oil in a pan , add mustard seeds and allow to splutter.

Now , add dry chilly , shallots , tomato and sauté well.

Add green chilly and turmeric powder.

Now add the chopped amaranth leaves , rice and allow to cook for five minutes.

Add cooked dhal and salt to taste.

Cook for another two minutes.

Keerai kootu is ready to serve.

Amaranthus Rice

 Araikeerai as called in Tamil is a widely used green in India. Amaranth leaves are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and folate and minerals like calcium, iron , potassium , zinc and copper .

 This rice is simple and easy to prepare.

Requirements :

Amaranthus leaves – 1 cup

Cooked rice – 2 cup

Onion – 1

 Green chilly – 2

Garlic – 2 cloves

Curry leave – a sprig

Oil – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Salt as required

Method :

Heat oil in a kadai , add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.

Now , add the chopped onion , garlic , slit green chillies and curry leaves.

Sauté well till the onions are translucent.

Add the amaranthus leaves and sauté for five minutes , by this time the leaves will be cooked.

Add the rice and required salt , stir well.

Stir for two minutes and take out from flame.

Amaranthus rice is ready to serve.

No sidedish is needed.

Spicy Greens Roti

 Roti made by combing the healthy greens like spinach , Fenugreek ,Dill , coriander , mint . It was healthy as I included so many greens in a single roti. Any green of your choice can be added.

 Dill leaves – Leaves of the Aniseed plant . I haven’t seen any shop selling these in and around my place. I had sowed few aniseeds in a pot to grow this plant 10 days before. There are 4 plants which had grown upto 10 cm height. I used these leaves to this roti. This gives a special flavor to the roti.

Requirement :

Wheat flour – 2 cup

Greens ( spinach , Fenugreek , Dill , mint , coriander ) – 1 cup

Green chilli – 2

Chilli powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – ¼ tsp

Amchur powder – ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ¼ tsp

Ghee – 2 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Grated Ginger – ¼ tsp

Water as required

Salt to taste

Oil

Method :

In a bowl , add the flour and chopped greens , mix well.

Add in the dry masala , salt , chopped green chilli and ginger .

Add the ghee and mix well.

Sprinkle little water at a time and knead the dough.

Make a soft smooth dough. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes to get soft roti.

Make small round balls of the dough.

Press into thin rotis by dusting flour with the help of rolling pin.

Heat a tava and cook the pressed rotis with spreading little oil on top.

Cook on both sides.

Spicy greens paratha is ready to serve.

Serve with coconut chutney , any raita or plain curd.

We had it with plain curd.

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Manathakali keerai / Black Night shade greens chutney

   Most of the tamilians knew this green , as it is widely used throughout Tamilnadu. In our kongu region we call it as milaguthakali keerai , the name may be due to its berries resembling milagu which is pepper corn in English.

   Mostly this green is used to make stir fry  and its unripe berries are used to make puli kulambu. We make this chutney preparation , which is a best combo with rice , idli , dosa and roti.

 We have this plant in our farm , so we will make any dish using its products at least once in a week.

  This green is an excellent medicine in curing peptic ulcer and stomach ulcer. The raw leaves say 5 – 6 leaves have to be chewed and shallowed before having food in the moring.

 So lets move on to the recipe……..

Requirements :

Milaguthakali keerai – 2 cups

Dry chilly – 4

Tomato – 1

Garlic – 2 cloves

Shallots – 5

Cumin – ½ tsp

Pepper – ½ tsp

Coriander seeds – ¼ tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt as required

Grated coconut – 4 tbs

Method :

Heat oil in a pan , add the cumin , pepper corns , coriander and fry well.

Add the garlic , shallots , dry chilly and fry for five minutes.

Now add the greens and sauté till all the water is evaporated.

Add the chopped tomato and saute for two minutes.

Let it cool .

Grind along with coconut and required salt.

Add little water while grinding.

Manathakali chutney is ready to serve.

Tempering can be added if needed.

Serve with idli / Dosa.

Note :

  A small marble sized tamarind can be used instead of tomato.

Roasted gram dhal  can be used in place of coconut.

  

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Manathakali keerai poriyal / Black Nightshade Stirfry

   Manaathakali keerai is called as black nightshade plant in english. in our kongu region , we call it as milaguthakkali keerai. It may called because of its berries resembling tomatoes and in the size of pepper corns.

  This green is best treatment to cure mouth ulcer and peptic ulcer. It can be taken as raw / cooked . when taking as raw , it will be slight bitter in taste.

  In our home , we will make at least once in a week as we are having this plant in our garden.

Requirements :

Manathakali keerai – 2 cup

Shallots – 5

Green chilly – 2

Curry leave – a sprig

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard seed – ½ tsp

Grated coconut – 2 tbs

Salt as required

Method :

 Wash and chop the leaves into fine pieces.

Heat oil in a kadai , add the mustard seeds and let it crackle.

Add the chopped shallots and slit green chillies. Sauté well.

Add the curry leaves and the chopped keerai , sauté well.

Sprinkle required salt and cook on medium flame.

The leaves will shrunk and become dark green.

Remove the lid and stir well till the poriyal will be dry.

Add the grated coconut and mix well.

Manathakali keerai poriyal is ready to serve.

Serve with plain rice / sambar rice.

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Show Me Your HITS - Festive Food Happening @ Roshini's kitchen and hosted by sangetha

linking it to Foodomania’s Christmas Cook-Off Contest

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Spinach pulov

Spinach as all know is rich in iron , calcium and vitamins. This pulov will be perfect for lunchbox. It is easy to make within minutes.

 I used Malabar spinach ( pink colour ) called as kodi pasalai in tamil from our garden.

Requirements :

Rice – 1 cup

Spinach leaves – 20 large

Green chilly – 4

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Butter – 1 tsp

Oil – ½ tsp

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Bay leaf

Cloves – 1- 2

Aniseeds – ¼ tsp

Cummin seeds – ¼ tsp

Onion – 1

Tomato – 1

Mint leaves – 10 leaves

Salt as required

Method :

 Grind the spinach and mint leaves to a smooth paste.

Soak the rice for fifteen minutes.

 Heat the pressure cooker , add the butter and oil together.

When the butter melts , add the bay leaf.

Now , add the cinnamon , cloves , aniseeds and cumin seeds. Let it splutters.

Add the chopped onion and sauté well till translucent.

Now add the tomato and sauté till fully mashed.

Add the slit green chilly , ginger garlic paste and grounded paste. Mix well.

Cook for ten minutes.

Add the soaked rice and fry for five minutes.

Add two cups of water and required salt.

When the water starts boiling , close the lid and cook for two whistles.

Serve with any raita.

Nutricious green coloured spinach pulov is ready.

Keerai paniyaram (Greens spicy Balls )

  Keerai ( greens ) paniyaram is a slight variation of normal kara panniyaram. You can add any greens of your choice. I used sengkeerai to make this keerai paniyaram.

Requirements :

Sengkeerai – 1 cup

Dosa batter – 2 cup

Ginger -  1’’ piece

Green chilly – 6

Salt to taste

Oil – 1tsp

Method :

 Grind ginger and green chilles.

Heat oil , sauté  ginger chilly paste.

Add this to batter.

Add chopped keerai , salt to taste.

Mix well and make paniyaram.

Serve with chutney.

  

Show Me Your HITS – Rice 

Kids Delight - Warm foods to beat the rain

South Indian Cooking" (SIC) Series Event - # 1

ALOO PALAK / POTATO IN SPINACH GRAVY

Spinach (palak) is widely used around the world .  It is a rich source of iron and fiber.

  During my childhood , I regularly watches POPPYE THE SAILORMAN regularly. In that when poppye takes spinach , he gets instant energy and strength. After seeing that I used to have spinach.

REQUIREMENTS:

Spinach / Palak  -  a bunch

Potato cubes( half cooked)  -  ½ cup

Green chilly  -  4

Onion  -  2

Garam masala – 1 tbs

Tomato  -  2

To grind -  grated coconut 2tbs and  5 cashew

METHOD:

Cook the spinach with salt and little water.

Grind this with green chillies.

Heat kadai , add oil , cumin ,onion and sauté for few minutes .

Add ginger –garlic paste and tomatoes, sauté till the tomatoes are mashed.

Add potatoes , turmeric powder, chilly powder (optional) , garam masala and sauté.

Add grounded spinach and allow to cook.

Add the coconut paste and cook for few minutes.

Serve with roti , chappati / naan.

Kerrai kootu ( greens with dhal )

  This recipe i included in tamilnadu lunch menu.

Kerrai  kootu ( greens with dhal )

   This kerrai kootu will be regular recipe in many of the southindian homes. It is easy to make within few minutes with the available ingredients in home. 

Requirements :

Amaranth leaves – 1 cup

Dry chilli – 2

Tomato – 1

Pearl onions – 6

Green chilly – 2

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Red gram dhal – 5 tbs ( cooked )

Oil – 2tbs

Mustard seeds- ½ tsp

Curry leaves

Method :

In a pan , heat oil add mustard seeds , onion , curry leaves , chilies and sauté well.

Add chopped tomato and turmeric powder.

Add chopped amaranth leaves and sauté well.

Add required salt and cook in low flame.

Add dhal and allow to boil for few minutes.

Kootu is ready to serve.

Spinach Kootu

Ingredients
Spinach 1 bunch washed and finely chopped
Thuvar dhall 1 t.spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 t.spoon
Red Chilles 3
Coconut 3 t.spoons
Curry leaves a few
Mustard seeds 1/2 t.spoon
Urad dhall 1 t.spoon
Hing a small pinch
Salt 1 t.spoon (or to taste)


Method
Boil spinach and salt in 1 cup water.
Soak thuvar dhall, cumin seeds, and, 2 red chilles for 30
minutes. Grind this with coconut. Add this paste to spinach
and cook until the flavour comes out.
Heat some coconut oil in a pan, splutter mustard, then add urad
dhall, 1 red chille, curry leaves, little hing, and add this to
the kootu.