Call it Keerai Kootu or spinach gravy or keerai molagootal, this delicious and healthy Moong Dal Spinach Gravy pairs well with rice, and it is an excellent side on your mealtime menu.
Tamilnadu Thali is incomplete without a kootu. Along with the dry curry, you will always find a vegetable kootu in the menu.
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Kootu is a Tamil word meaning a mix of things, and regarding food, it means a combination of vegetables and lentils. You can make kootu with just one vegetable and lentil or with a mix of vegetables. Moong dal or the yellow mung bean and chana dal or the Bengal gram dal are the widely used lentils for the kootu.
I like to combine chana dal with the melon varieties like winter melon or pumpkin or with snake gourd. For this spinach kootu, I always prefer moong dal.
Back in India, we used to get different spinach varieties, and you can prepare similar kootu with almost all the spinach varieties. In the US, I get drumstick leaves, amaranth greens, and the regular spinach. Rarely we do get the Indian Pennywort, and I have posted the Indian Pennywort/Vallarai keerai kootu and dosai already.
In our household, we always make kootu without any onion and garlic, but there are few exceptions like green tomato kootu and raw papaya kootu where I would have added onion by no garlic for sure. :-)
Quick Meal with Kootu:
We all love kootu, and vaandu’s favorite is the chow-chow kootu. Kootu is typically a side dish, but I can have it with just rice and ghee without any sambar or rasam. I introduced all the veggies to vaandu in the form of kootu. I used to make it mild (even now my food is mild) and mix it with rice along with a tsp of ghee and feed him.
During busy weekdays, I prefer just kootu and rice. It is easy to make, and it makes a pretty balanced meal. You can not rely only on the kootu for protein as we use only ¼ cup of moong dal.
Now without any further ado, here is the spinach kootu recipe. Add some vibrant green color to your meal platter with this delicious kootu.
Keerai Kootu – Moong Dal Spinach Gravy
Ingredients:
- Spinach – 1 lb
- Kosher Salt – 2 tsps
- Ground Black Pepper – ½ tsp
- Tumeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Moong Dal – ¼ cup
- Water – ¾ cup
- To Temper:
- Coconut Oil – 2 tsps
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Urad Dal – 1 tsp
- Chana Dal – 1 tsp
- Hing – ¼ tsp
- To Grind:
- Grated Coconut – ½ cup
- Cumin Seeds 1 tbsp
- Dried Red Chilies – 2 (I used the Kashmiri Red Chili Variety)
- Water – 3 tbsps
Prep – Work:
- Wash the spinach and drain the water. Chop them roughly.
- Grind the coconut, cumin seeds, and dried red chilies into a smooth paste by adding 3 tbsps of water.
- Wash the moong dal and pressure cook it by adding ¾ cup of water for up to three whistles. If using Instant Pot, then pressure cook it in manual mode for five minutes and release the pressure after five minutes or naturally.
- Allow the moong dal to cool and mash it roughly.
Steps:
- Head the kadai and add the oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and the hing.
- Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and then add the chopped spinach, salt, turmeric powder, and ground pepper.
- Do not add any water. Mix the spinach and allow it to cook for five minutes stirring every two minutes.
- In less than seven minutes, spinach will wilt and ooze out water.
- Now add the cooked moong dal and ground coconut paste.
- Mix them thoroughly and cook for three to four minutes over low-medium heat.
- If you want thin consistency, then add ½ to ¾ cup of water, and cook it for five more minutes.
And that’s it. Keerai Kootu or Moong Dal Spinach Gravy is now ready. Serve it hot with rice with a dollop of ghee or serve it as a side along with rice and sambar or rice and rasam. You can also pair it with vathal kuzhambu. Do checkout my easy vathal kuzhambu recipe.
Notes:
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- Adjust the water according to your consistency preference.
- Traditionally moong dal is used in the spinach kootu, but you can try with masoor dal / red lentils or with channa dal / Bengal gram dal.
- Try not to skip the ground pepper as it acts as an antiseptic.
📖 Recipe
Keerai Kootu | Moong Dal Spinach Gravy
Keerai Kootu - Healthy and delicious moong dal spinach gravy with fresh ground coconut masala - a traditional mealtime gravy from South India without any onion and garlic.
Servings: 4
Calories: 148kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb Spinach
- 2 tsps Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ¼ cup Moong Dal
- ¾ cup Water
To Temper:
- 2 tsps Coconut Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 tsp Chana Dal
- ¼ tsp Hing
To Grind:
- ½ cup Coconut Grated
- 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 Dried Red Chilies I used the Kashmiri Red Chili Variety
- 3 tbsp Water
Instructions
Prep - Work:
- Wash the spinach and drain the water. Chop them roughly.
- Grind the coconut, cumin seeds, and dried red chilies into a smooth paste by adding 3 tbsps of water.
- Wash the moong dal and pressure cook it by adding ¾ cup of water for up to three whistles. If using Instant Pot, then pressure cook it in manual mode for five minutes and release the pressure after five minutes or naturally.
- Allow the moong dal to cool and mash it roughly.
Steps:
- Head the kadai and add the oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and the hing.
- Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and then add the chopped spinach, salt, turmeric powder, and ground pepper.
- Do not add any water. Mix the spinach and allow it to cook for five minutes stirring every two minutes.
- In less than seven minutes, spinach will wilt and ooze out water.
- Now add the cooked moong dal and ground coconut paste.
- Mix them thoroughly and cook for three to four minutes over low-medium heat.
- If you want thin consistency, then add ½ to ¾ cup of water, and cook it for five more minutes.
- And that's it. Spinach kootu is now ready. Serve it hot with rice with a dollop of ghee or serve it as a side along with rice and sambar or rice and rasam.
Notes
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- Adjust the water according to your consistency preference.
- Traditionally moong dal is used in the spinach kootu, but you can try with masoor dal / red lentils or with channa dal / Bengal gram dal.
- Try not to skip the ground pepper as it acts as an antiseptic.
Nutrition
Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1264mg | Potassium: 929mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 10880IU | Vitamin C: 65.2mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 5.6mg
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
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PS:
I am sending this recipe to the BM 95. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#95
Kindly upload good South-Indian recipes
Sure. Thanks
Please check your point no. 7. I think it is a typo error
Thanks for pointing it out. I fixed it. Sorry about that.
So good! I added one more chilli and ½ cup more of dal to this. Used frozen spinach and it still turned out delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome. Glad it came out well with frozen spinach. Thanks for the feedback.
I cook Dal palak in a different way. I like the idea of adding coconut to it.. that must have added a nutty flavour to the dish. Looks tempting!!
Thanks :-)
that is a lovely setup vidhya, we too love kootu’s! infact my household runs on kootu :)
We too love moong dal for most of our kootu Keerai kootu, a simple, yet comforting dish.
Thanks much Priya.
Spinach is just about my favorite vegetable and I put it in everything. This is my kind of dish and can easily dig into this one
Thanks :-) Same here. Try to sneak in on all the dishes.
Palak keerai kootu is such a comfort food. Love to eat this with rasam and hot rice
It is Veena. Love that combo with rasam.
That is a lovely spinach kootu recipe Vidhya. I make chow chow and lauki kootu but never made with spinach. I am definitely going to try this recipe for my family. Pinned!!
Thanks :-)
Love your setup and that thaali looks fabulous. Keerai kootu is the kind of comfort food I want to come home to.
:-) Same here. Love these simple and healthy comfort foods.
I love this version of koottu. We can add all sorts of greens and make a healthy meal out of it.
oh yeah true.
Comfort food at its best. Love the set up, props and the food there.
Thanks Harini.
That is one flavorful and nutritious kootu. The mild kootu is a suitable one for all ages as you mentioned.
True. Thanks Suma.
Am in love with that spice paste went in it, such a flavourful kootu. I can have this kootu with some rice and papads without any fuss. Inviting set up there.
Thanks a lot. :-)