I used amaranth leaves to make Palak Paneer too and this time around, didn’t have the patience to try something that elaborate. 10 minutes of rummaging around in my recipe collection brought me to this nice and easy recipe for Keerai Masiyal, also known as Keerai Kadaiyal. The recipe was so simple that I kept checking back to see if I was missing something.
KEERAI MASIYAL RECIPE
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
Amaranth leaves or spinach leaves – 2 cups, cleaned and roughly chopped
Dried red chillies – 2
Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – a few (optional)
Garlic – 2 cloves, minced (optional – traditional Brahmin recipes never use garlic, so omit for the authentic taste)
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
How to Make Keerai Masiyal
1. Cook the amaranth leaves in 1/2 cup water for about 5-8 mins till its wilted. Be careful not to add too much water, since the leaves give out some while cooking.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and temper the mustard seeds. Fry the urad dal and the garlic, if using, until both turn golden brown.
3. Add the red chillies, jeera powder and curry leaves and fry for another 15-20 seconds. Now add the amaranth leaves and mix well.
4. Add salt and keep mashing till the leaves are coarse and blended with the rest of the curry.
Serve hot with rice and mor kozhambu / spiced buttermilk curry.
Notes
– Do not re-heat this curry since the nitrous present in the leaves can be harmful for us, especially kids
– Try to use fresh spinach but frozen should also work.
– The dish is traditionally prepared in kal chatti (thick unpolished granite pots), where the mashing process is much simpler and gives the dish a nice flavour.
– For a quicker version, instead of mashing up the spinach, grind it coarsely in the mixie before adding to the tempered mixture.
Divya
That looks so silky, bet it tastes great. I am an exception I think… I love garlic!
Pravs
getting cleaned greens making cooking so easy ! Nice dish, love to have leafy curries.
priyanka
that must have turned out pretty tasty…however i havent been able to find amaranth in any of the stores in my city.
Swati Raman Garg
and hey i forgot to tell u i saw sas bahu on a dvd and it was an ok kinda movie… the plot could have been made a little more interesting but anyways…. hope u could catch the movie….
Swati Raman Garg
thats something so true about the greens… even i hate it…. but thats one thing totally impossible to find in local nearby markets here… you ought to get into the fusss of cleaning… but i love my greens… it looks really smoooth…