Keerai Poricha Kootu - Comfort In A Bowl!

Greens in Lentils and Coconut Based Curry:

Other Names: Greens Olan. Green leafy vegetables in Lentils and Coconut Based Curry.

When I was growing up, green leafy vegetables used to be a quintessential part of our daily diet! Upon hitting the age - teen, my food preferences centered around...with heavy dose of spice, restaurant delights, thick gravies, fiery hot meals, deep-fried junks and something always exotic in nature!!! Later, when I picked up cooking on my own, I gave least importance to my traditional daily food! Kept exploiting various ways of sabotaging the nutritious stuff! Was least guilty to mutilate a perfect recipe in the name of 'enriching'!

Anyhow, after a prolonged expedition in the wild...finally arrived at a plateau! Where I realized the importance of good cooking! Yep, this is an era of traditional food comeback! I am looking forward for more native vegetables and seafood! Checking out the old-fashioned recipes! Now-a-days, the fresh greens from the backyard/produce section gives an aura of health benefits and goodness written all over it! As they say,...'they always come back', so did I:)

Ingredients:

Amaranthus / Paruppu keerai 1 bunch
Moong dal cooked 1 cup
Grated coconut 1 tablespoon
Green chilies 3
Ginger 1" grated
Urad dal 2-4 teaspoons - roasted
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Salt
Turmeric 1 pinch
Oil few spoons
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Curry leaves few.

Method:

Heat the oil in a wide wok, add the tempering spices and followed by greens and cooked lentils. Further add salt and turmeric, cover and cook.

Blend the roasted urid dal, cumin seeds, chilies, ginger and coconut together to fine paste.

Now add the same to the pot and continue cooking without lid, until it thickens.

Serve warm to go with your meals.

Gosht Palak / Fried Goat's Meat in Rich Creamy Spinach Based Sauce

Saag Gosht:

Other Names: Gosht Saagwala. Mutton Varuval - Pasalai Keerai Masiyal. Fried Goat's Meat in Rich Creamy Spinach based Curry. Mutton with Spinach Sauce. Lamb in Spinach Sauce.

Ingredients:

For Mutton

Goat's meat - 1/4 kilo
Coriander seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Garam masala 1/4 spoon
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Oil few spoons.

For Saag

Fresh spinach - cleaned 1 large bowl full
Green chilies 6-8
Onion 1 small
Ginger 2 inches chopped
Garlic 2 cloves chopped
Tomato 1 small
Salt
Oil few spoons
Fresh cream to garnish.

Method:

Cook the meat in a pressure cooker till tender, remove the pieces and set aside.

Stir-fry the cooked mutton with all the above mentioned ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil in a vessel, add all the above mentioned ingredients(for Saag) except cream and fried mutton. Once the leaves wilt, puree them.

Now mix the both fried mutton with greens puree, top them with fresh cream.

Serve to go with pulkah rotis or rice.

Paruppu Keerai Poriyal / Greens Subzi - Green Leafy Vegetables Stir-fry

Greens Thoran:

I am not sure, what kind of greens these are!!! Found them lying in International market, untouched by many! I confidently bagged them with care, and once again, Mom's recipe helped me to creative this delicacy!

Regarding wild/domesticated greens...wash them several times in running water and let the greens sit in water filled vessel for a while, this will facilitate the fine-sand to settle down. And if you are wondering 'why I am ranting so much about cleaning the greens?...Here is a shameful incident, when I was an amateur cook (not that I am a good one, now:) I simply rinsed the greens and went ahead with cooking, so ended up with disaster keerai poriyal, but unknowingly served them to my guests, no one said a word' everyone quietly finished their lunch! But when I tasted it, it was so horrible...felt so bad! From that incident onwards, am being very careful these days. And also, never buy greens during rainy season...it gives out a funky odor!

Note:

Hoooray, this is called 'Paruppu Keerai' in Tamil. Special Thanks goes to Sheena Babu for helping me out. I was kind of wondering...the leaves look so familiar but I couldn't recall the actual native name of this greens, at the time of posting! Thanks to blogging and my buddies, once again:)

Ingredients:

Greens - chopped along with tender stem to 1 inch size
Garlic 7 cloves chopped
Green chilies 3 chopped
Salt
Turmeric 1 pinch
Chana dal 2 spoons
Urad dal 2 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Peppercorns 2
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Oil few spoons
Grated coconut 2 spoons(I used dessicated one, here)

Method:

Wash and clean the greens several times to get rid of any sand particles. Hold them in a colander, till cooking.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the tempering spices, and wait till they turn reddish brown.

Now add greens, salt and turmeric...cover and cook briefly. Once the leaves wilt, remove the lid and stir-fry over high heat.

Garnish with grated coconuts, serve warm to go with South Indian meals.

Arai Keerai Kothu Paruppu / Amaranthus Greens Sambhar - Adopt Green Cooking!

Arai Keerai Sambhar:

Ingredients

Greens 1 bunch - cleaned
Green chilies 3 sliced
Garlic 4 crushed
Onion 1 large chopped
Tomato 1 large chopped
Chick peas/chana dal 1 cup
Thuvar dal 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Sambhar powder 1 spoon
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon

For Tempering:

Oil few spoon
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few.

Method:

Cook thuvar dal(lentils) till tender and set aside.

Cook the chana dal, briefly...cooked, but not mushy. Set aside as well.

Heat oil, in a vessel. Add the tempering spices and wait till it sizzles. Then followed by chilies, garlic, onions and tomatoes. Cook over high heat...maybe till the raw odor leaves the pan.

Now, stir-in greens and two types of lentils to it. Further add salt, turmeric, chili and sambar powder to it. Once the greens are done, add tamarind paste and bring it to boil once...and remove from heat.

Serve to go with your lunch, either steamed rice or chappathis...it pairs well.

Manathakali Masiyal / Black Nightshade Berries Chutney

Manithakali Masiyal:(Country Style)

Ingredients:

Black nightshade berries 1 cup
Thoor Dal 1 small cup
Green chilies 6
Garlic 6-7 beads
Onion 1 medium
Tomatoes 1-2
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon
Oil few spoons.

For Seasoning:

Thallipu Vadagam 1 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1 pinch
Peppercorns 2
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Dry red chilies 1
Urad dal 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Wash and clean the berries.

Cook thuvar dal in a pressure cooker till tender. Set aside.

In a wide wok, heat oil. Add chilies, garlic, onion and tomatoes. Fry them real good.

Then followed by berries. Add salt and turmeric to it.

Add a cup of water and cook them tender.

When they are almost done...add 1/4 of tamarind water.

Remove them from stove(make sure there is not more water). Now coarsely grind them in a mann-chatti/blender. Then add cooked thoor dal and blend once again.

In a separate pan, heat oil. Add seasoning items. Run this seasoning over the masiyal made above.

Serve warm to go with your steamed rice.

Methi Kofta Kadhi/ Vendhaya Keerai Kola-Urundai Mor Kuzhambu

Methi Kofta Kadhi:

Vendhya Keerai Kola Urundai Mor-Kuzhambu.

...so nothing much to rant today, please...don't ask me, how did I arrive at this dish! Kind of hectic week, with million commitments(that need to be attended in split second), lots of chores at home and above all' topped with severe yard work! This summer is pretty rough here, imagine...poor me toiling around:( Hmmm, in one way its good to have a nice physical work, where the energy is converted into something productive(better than treadmill and dumbbells, I mean). Anyhow, I came home (after weeding for hours) with that old fashioned word 'hungry'...and was reluctant to cook anything. So, fixed this recipe instantly, with some leftovers from the fridge! Just, tossed them together and called it a day:)

I used left over Methi Kebabs, but one can make Methi Koftas for better results:) Just prepare a kadhi/mor kuzhambu in a usual way...and top them with Koftas/kebabs/kola urundai, you know:)

Pathra / Pathrode / Alu Wadi / Yam Leaves Pinwheel Fritters / Maharastrian Wadi

Pathra:(Maharashtra Style)

I knew, I was going to try this recipe sooner or later. The recipes for Authentic Alu Wadi / Pathra have been floating around the blogosphere for a while. And I couldn't wait to try them myself. As soon as I saw these Fresh Yam Greens in the International market, I convinced myself that the recipe shared by many of my beloved bloggers, would never let me down. I bagged them, with confidence:) Well...googled a million times, before tweaking the original recipe to suit my needs. I simply disapproved the idea of besan flour basting(which I could never find here) and turned them into thuvar dal paste. Gosh, was wondering for the whole time, how its gonna turn out...to my surprise it was splendid, divine and it looked like an absolute piece of art. Here you go...

Note: It isn't complicated as it looks, its easy, and you know...one could get better the each time. If you like bigger fritters, just use more and more layers of leaves.

Ingredients:

Taro Roots Leaves / Yam leaves/ Colocassia Leaves
Besan flour (original recipe) or Thuvar dal paste 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric 1 pinch
Chili powder 1 spoon
Jaggery gooseberry size
Black sesame seeds 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Tamarind paste 1/2 spoon
Olive oil for pan-frying
Cumin seeds for garnishing.

Method:

Wash and clean the leaves, if you could able to find all even sized leaves, call yourself lucky:)

Well, wet-grind the lentils and add all the above mentioned ingredients to it. Except, you kno...oil, and cumin seeds.

Now, cut the mid-rib, if necessary. Then, smear/baste the above paste over the leaves...arrange them one above the other and continue to do so. Then roll them and set aside. Repeat the same for all the remaining stuff too.

Now steam cook them for about 10 minutes. And cut them into small wadis/pinwheels,perfect.

Shallow fry them for few minutes and add the cumin seeds to the same oil. Voila:)

Methi Muthiya - Fenugreek Greens Kebab

Green Leafy Vegetables Kebab:
Steamed Greens Kebab, anyone?

This one is freaking delicious kebab.:) I had no idea, how to include this bitter tasting greens in a dinner party. Was scratching my head for a while and googled this interesting recipe. It was quite catchy. It turned out simply rich, healthy(as I steamed and then spray-fried them,he he), could be throw-together in minutes, will be a great finger food and despite the strange title (Green Leafy Vegetables Kebab), its damn tasty.:)

Ingredients:

Methi/ Fenugreek leaves 1 cup
Bread crumbs 1/4 cup(I have no bengal gram flour here)
Ginger-garlic paste 1/2 spoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 spoon
Green chilies 2 minced
Salt to taste
Olive oil few spoons for pan-frying.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and shape them in a desired fashion.

Steam cook them for about 10 minutes.

Then, shallow fry them in a pan till crisp and brown.

Serve as an appetizers.

Enjoy:)

Methi Miriyalu Annam - Therapeutic Meal

Menthulu Miriyalu Annam:

Fenugreek Greens Pepper Rice. Methi Saag aur Kali Mirch ka Chaawal. Vendhaya Keerai-Milagu Saadham.

Ingredients:

Rice - cooked 2 cups
Greens 2-3 cups
Onions 2 sliced
Peppercorns 1 fistful
Cumin seeds 1 table spoon
Thuval dal 1 table spoon
Coriander seeds 2 spoons
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Salt to taste
Ghee.

Method:

Dry toast the above mentioned spices and powder the same. Set aside.

In a wide wok, heat ghee. Add the onions and fry real good.

Add greens, salt and the powdered spices. Fry over high heat. Once it is aromatic and greens are done, remove from heat.

Now mix this to rice. Enjoy while it is steaming hot. Very therapeutic, heals up the minor internal wounds.

Sarson ki Saag Kadhi - Mustards Greens in Buttermilk Gravy

Kadugu Keerai Mor Kuzhambu:

Ingredients:

Mustard greens 1 bunch
Yogurts 4 cups
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Oil few spoons.

Wet Grind these to a Thick Paste:

Pepper 1-2 spoons
Green chilies 5
Thoor dal 1 cup
Tomato 1
Ginger 3-4 inch size. peeled.
Garlic 4 -5 cloves

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Urad dal 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Dry red chilies 3
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons
Oil for shallow frying.

Method:

Heat oil, in a wok. Saute greens for a while...until oil coats to all sides.

Now add wet ground paste to it. Fry them till they loose their raw smell.

Further add asafoetida, salt, turmeric and yogurts. Mix them well. Let them come to 1-2 boil.

In a separate pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, red chilies, pepper and curry leaves. Fry for a while...till they pop and splutter. Now run this seasoning over the gravy made above.

Serve warm along with plain steam cooked rice.

Drumstick Greens & Peanuts - Stir Fry

Murungai Keerai Poriyal:

Muringa ilai poriyal. Muringa Leaves Stir-fry.

One of the best method to have bitter tasting greens is to stir-fry them with peanuts. It stops that gastric juice reflux from the tummy. As a true omnivore' I tend to stay away from anything 'bitter' as much as possible (like many I guess and there are always few exceptions, you know that, right). Well, anyway...thats not an excuse to deny oneself such a nutritious, iron rich, vitamin packed greens. When the whole world is turning to become herbivores, letz atleast try to make a difference in the plan here...to bring a balanced meal.

Ingredients:

Drumstick greens 2 cups
Peanuts toasted and grated 1/2 cup
Dry red chilies flakes 2-3 spoons
Garlic 6 with skin - crushed(optional)
Salt
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

In a wide wok, heat oil and add mustards, wait till they pop and splutter well.

Now add greens, cover and cook for a while...add salt and continue cooking.

Once you feel that the greens are almost done, add chili flakes and grated peanuts. Stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes.

Serve to go with your plain steamed rice.