Quick one-pot keerai sadam, precisely keerai kootu sadam with Swiss chard made in Instant Pot. A healthy one-pot rice recipe with the goodness of quinoa and swiss chard.
After ages, I am posting an Instant Pot and South Indian recipe.
I hope you all enjoyed my Instant Pot summer beverages :horchata and raspberry green tea. Now it’s time for cozy comfort rice dishes and soup, and I am starting with this simple keerai sadam or the keerai kootu sadam.
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One-pot South Indian Instant Pot recipes
You all know my love for quick and easy one-pot recipes. I have shared quite a few one-pot pulao and biryani varieties. Equally, I have shared South Indian one-pot recipes like rasam sadam, kadamba sambar sadam, sambar sadam, kootanchoru, arisi paruppu sadam, ven pongal, etc. I am adding this keerai kootu sadam to that repertoire.
Keerai kootu sadam
In Tamil, keerai means leafy greens,
kootu means the mixed veggie and lentils gravy with freshly ground coconut masala, and sadam means rice. You can enjoy kootu as a side dish for sambar rice, rasam rice, or as an accompaniment with plain steamed rice.
But today, I have combined rice and kootu to make this simple kootu sadam. I started making this kootu sadam during our kitchen renovation. When I had a limited set of vessels, I was opting only for one-pot recipes. These are very handy when time is pressing, and it’s a perfect lunch box recipe as well.
Ingredients used
To Temper: We need the essential tempering ingredients like mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal. As always, I recommend coconut oil, but you can use the oil of your choice. As we add cumin seeds in the kootu masala, I skip during tempering.
For the kootu masala: We need fresh or frozen coconut, cumin seeds, whole peppercorns, and dried red chili. I went with 1 tsp of whole peppercorns, so I reduced the measure of dried red chilies.
Onion: It’s entirely optional. You can add both onion and garlic or skip both. I have tried with and without onions, and it has come out well.
Greens: For this recipe, I used swiss chard. I have tried this recipe with spinach and both green and red amaranth. I am yet to try it with collard greens or kale. You can mix and match any of these greens with spinach too.
Rice, lentils, and quinoa: We typically use moong dal for kootu, which I have also used in this recipe. Along with rice, I have included some quinoa, too, for that added protein.
Along with the above ingredients, we need turmeric powder, salt and water. Please do check the FQA section below for ingredient variations. I have skipped asafoetida. As we add peppercorns, it is ok to skip asafoetida, but no harm in adding ⅛ tsp of asafoetida.
Frequently asked questions
You can very well use both, but both greens have their unique flavors. I would use 1 cup(loosely packed) of those but not more.
You can always combine the other greens with spinach and give it a try. While there are so my leafy greens out there, spinach, swiss chard, and amaranth works best in this recipe.
For all the South Indian rice recipes, I use short grain rice varieties like ponni or sona masoori. You can use raw rice or parboiled rice. While basmati rice is an option, I would keep that as a last one. And yes, you can use millets/bulgur wheat/buckwheat groats instead of quinoa. You can use grains of your choice as per your diet but make sure to adjust the cooking time, especially if you are using brown rice.
Yes, you can use dry coconut but roast it slightly before blending. You can also roast it with spices as we do for poricha kootu. I tried soaking it in hot water, but the flavor wasn’t great like the roasted one.
You can make similar kootu sadam with chow chow/chayote squash, bottle gourd, snake gourd, ridge gourd, and mixed vegetables too. The below timing works well for these veggies too. Moong dal and rice need a minimum of five minutes of high-pressure cooking time or 12 to 13 minutes of low-pressure cooking time. So keep that in mind and add veggies that won’t turn into a big mush.
Follow the same procedure in the stove-top pressure cooker or pan. Pressure cook for three whistles and let the pressure subside naturally.
Dietary specifications and serving suggestions
This keerai sadam is gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan by nature. You can serve this with raita, any dry curry, chips, or appalam/papad. If you are not particular about vegan, add a dollop of ghee before serving. You can replace ghee with coconut oil too.
I would recommend relishing this rice hot. The rice thickens as it cools down. So if needed, add ½ cup of hot water and reheat before serving.
Now, without further ado, let’s see how to make this keerai kootu sadam in Instant Pot.
Keerai sadam or keerai kootu sadam in Instant Pot with step-wise pictures
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode, and when it is hot, add the coconut oil. Then add the mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal, and let the mustard seeds splutter. Then add the chopped onion and turmeric powder and saute until the onions are soft.
- Meanwhile, grind the coconut, dried red chili, cumin seeds, and peppercorns by adding ½ cup of water and set aside. (Missed taking that picture). When the onions are soft, add the chopped swiss chard and salt.
- Let the Swiss chard wilt like below. It usually takes about two minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Now add the rinsed and drained rice, quinoa, and moong dal.
- Followed by ground coconut paste and water.
- Mix well and press the cancel button, close the Instant Pot lid, and ensure the vent is in the sealing position. Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the rice mix to cool for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook at high-pressure manual mode for 5 minutes and do a natural pressure release.
- After 5 minutes, mix and mash the rice and serve it warm with raita or sides of your choice.
Recipe notes
- Onions are optional. You can very well make this rice without onion. And along with onions, if you want to include garlic, you can add two cloves of garlic.
- Adjust the salt, whole peppercorn, and salt measure to taste. You can add up to 2 tsps of cumin seeds for this rice.
- I omitted asafoetida. You can add ⅛ tsp of asafoetida.
- The rice thickens as it cools down. So if needed, add ½ cup of hot water before serving.
Explore other greens recipes from my blog archives
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📖 Recipe
Keerai Sadam | Instant Pot South Indian Swiss Chard Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Measurement Details : 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
To Temper
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp urad dal
- ½ tsp chana dal
To grind
- ½ cup coconut
- 1 dried red chili
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp whole peppercorns
- ½ cup water
Other ingredients
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
- 120 grams onion chopped
- ½ cup rice rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup moong dal rinsed, and drained
- ¼ cup quinoa rinsed and drained
- 150 grams Swiss chard washed and chopped
- 1.25 tsp salt or to taste
- 1.75 cups water
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode, and when it is hot, add the coconut oil. Then add the mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal, and let the mustard seeds splutter. Then add the chopped onion and turmeric powder and saute until the onions are soft.
- Meanwhile, grind the coconut, dried red chili, cumin seeds, and peppercorns by adding ½ cup of water and set aside. (Missed taking that picture). When the onions are soft, add the chopped swiss chard and salt.
- Let the Swiss chard wilt like below. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Now add the rinsed and drained rice, quinoa, and moong dal.
- Followed by ground coconut paste and water.
- Mix well and press the cancel button, close the Instant Pot lid, and ensure the vent is in the sealing position. Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the rice mix to cool for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook at high-pressure manual mode for 5 minutes and do a natural pressure release.
- After 5 minutes, mix and mash the rice and serve it warm with raita or sides of your choice.
Notes
- Onions are optional. You can very well make this rice without onion. And along with onions, if you want to include garlic, you can add two cloves of garlic.
- Adjust the salt, whole peppercorn, and salt measure to taste. You can add up to 2 tsps of cumin seeds for this rice.
- I omitted asafoetida. You can add ⅛ tsp of asafoetida.
- The rice thickens as it cools down. So if needed, add ½ cup of hot water before serving.
Nutrition
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.
Excellent recipe Srividhya, so healthy and such a change from regular sadam…
Yeah… Just making every thing one pot makes it so easy.
Please provide nutritional info. Missing from the recipe card. Thanks
Just updated the post with nutritional infor. Thanks for letting me know. Really appreciate it.
Keerai sadam is always yum for all of us. This mixed grain Instant pot version is an amazing one-pot meal fit for busy days. Amazing recipe!
Thanks Radha.