Agathi Keerai is a highly regarded green in Tamil cuisine as it has lots of health benefits. There are two theories as to why its called as Agathi. It is believed to be named after the Sage Agathiyar / Agasthya. Sage Agasthya is often considered as the father of traditional Indian Medicine. Agathiyar(அகத்தியர்) in Tamil means one who is focused inward. Agam in tamil means inner place.
The other theory is that the name can be split in Tamil as Agam + thee = agathi. Agam means inner place. “Thee” means fire. So agathi is considered to be a substance that keeps the heat of the body in balance. These leaves are used extensively for its healing properties. It is called as Agathi keerai அகத்தி கீரை in Tamil, Avisi Koora in Telugu, Agase Soppu in Kannada and gaach-munga in Hindi. The leaves are slightly bitter but tastes really well with the added coconut.
There are many agathi keerai recipes. Here is how to do a simple Tamilnadu style agathi keerai poriyal – stir fry recipe. First, remove the leaves from the stem of the keerai. Just pull the leaves from the stem downward like below and it will easily come off. Discard the stem.
Soak the leaves in plenty of water for 10 minutes to get rid of the fine dust and sand. Wash it several times in running water. Drain the water and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds and the urad dal. Wait for the mustard seeds to splutter and the urad dal to brown. Add in the finely chopped onions, salt and the chopped green chillies. Fry till the onions are soft.
Add in the agathi leaves and cook for 10 minutes in medium flame until the leaves are soft and cooked. Add a little water (about 1/4 cup ) while cooking if necessary.
Add in the fresh shredded coconut and fry for a minute. Switch off the flame.
Serve Agathi keerai for lunch with rice, sambar and rasam.
- 250 grams Agathi Keerai
- 2 teaspoon peanut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon split urad dal
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 green chillies, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup fresh shredded coconut
- First, remove the leaves from the stem of the keerai. Discard the stem. Soak the leaves in plenty of water for 10 minutes to get rid of fine dust and sand. Wash it several times in running water. Drain the water and set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds and the urad dal. Wait for the mustard seeds to splutter and the urad dal to brown. Add in the finely chopped onions, salt and the chopped green chillies. Fry till the onions are soft.
- Add in the agathi leaves and cook for 10 minutes in medium flame until the leaves are soft and cooked. Add a little water (about ¼ cup ) while cooking if necessary.
- Add in the fresh shredded coconut and fry for a minute. Switch off the flame.
- Serve Agathi keerai for lunch with rice and a side dish of sambar and rasam.
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