Vallarai Keerai Kootu | Indian Pennywort Curry
Vallarai Keerai Kootu is Indian Pennywort Curry prepared with moong dal and spinach with fresh ground coconut masala. It can be served as a rice accompaniment or a side for sambar and rasam rice.
Servings: 4
Calories: 130kcal
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Moong Dal
- 2.5 cups Vallarai Keerai
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ tsp Pepper Powder -
- 1 tsp Salt heaped
- 1.5 cups Water
To Grind
- ⅓ cup Grated Coconut
- 2 Red Chillies
- 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Pepper Corns
- 3 tbsps Water to 4
For Tempering
- 2 tsps Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 tsp Channa Dal
- ¼ tsp Hing
Instructions
Prep - work
- Wash the moong dal and pressure cook it by adding 1.5 cups of water and turmeric powder.
- Let it cool and mash it well.
- Meanwhile, wash the spinach twice, remove the stems from the spinach and chop them finely.
- Grind all the ingredients given under “To Grind” by adding 3 to 4 tbsps of water and set aside.
Steps
- Heat a pan or kadai and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal. As they start to crackle, add the hing and fry for about 20 seconds.
- Now add the chopped spinach, salt and pepper powder and mix well.
- Cover and cook for about 5 minutes mixing once in between around 3 minutes. (I didn’t add water at this stage. The spinach along with salt oozes out enough water)
- By now the spinach should be cooked well. Now add the cooked moong dal and the ground coconut paste and mix well.
- Check for salt at this stage and if required adjust accordingly.
- Bring it to a boil and that’s it.
- Yummy kootu is ready. This can be served as a rice accompaniment and also as a side for sambar rice.
Notes
- If you want thin consistency, add required water after adding cooked moong dal.
- Adjust the salt and spice according to your preference.
- Two garlic cloves can be added while cooking the moong dal for additional flavor.
- Coconut oil can be used for tempering for additional flavor.
- Instead of urad and channa dal for tempering, you can use cumin seeds and mustard seeds alone for tempering.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 594mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 138IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg