Chettinad Keerai Kootu Recipe | Spinach Dhal
Homestyle spinach dhal - fresh palak / spinach greens cooked with toor dal and spices.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or Instant Pot, Sauce pan
Ingredients
To cook lentils
- 1 cup Toor Dal / Thuvaram paruppu
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Oil optional, add if dal is soaked for less time
- 3 cups Water
Temper, Saute & Cook
- 1 bunch Spinach / Palak greens / Pasalai Keerai
- 1 tsp Oil
- 1 tsp Ghee
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Split Black gram
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 small Green chili
- 1 each Dry red chili optional
- 1/2 tsp Asafoetida
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 cup Onion
- 1/4 cup Tomato
- 1 pinch Sugar
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sambar Powder / Garam Masala powder optional, **** see notes
- 1 tbsp Fresh Grated Coconut
Instructions
To cook Dhal / Lentils
- Soak toor dal for at least 30 minutes. Wash, rinse and set aside.
- Take soaked toor lentils in a pressure cooker pan, add turmeric powder, oil and water. (Adding little oil can make dal turn mushy, use if the lentils are soaked for less time) Soaking lentils for at least 30 minutes can aid better digestion)
- Pressure cook for up to 3 to 4 whistles and switch off.
- If using Instant pot, select Bean Mode and cook over high pressure for 30 minutes.
Temper, Saute & Cook
- Heat oil and ghee in a pan.
- Temper with mustard seeds, split black gram, cumin seeds, green chili, dry red chili, and asafoetida. (either use green or dry red chili depending on preference)
- Saute crushed garlic along with onion for few minutes until it turns soft.
- Now add copped tomatoes along with chopped spinach greens and saute for few minutes until wilted. Add a pinch of sugar to keep the color intact.
- While that is cooking, gently mash the cooked dhal.
- Add the sautéed spinach along with the tempering over the mashed dal.
- Mix well, add little sambar powder and simmer for minutes or until desired thickness is reached. (For North Indian Version of Spinach Dal / Palak dal- use garam masala powder instead of sambar powder )
- Finally garnish with some fresh grated coconut and turn it off!
- Serve it warm topped over pipping hot rice and ghee!
Video
Notes
For variation - try using garam masala powder instead of sambar powder. South Indians use sambar podi for their kootu curry or paruppu and North Indians almost make the similar version calling it dal curry which is mostly made with or without garam masala powder.