We used to live in a residential colony when we were young. Mornings were lively and busy. The milk man would be the first to come. Followed by the fish guy on his cycle, with wicker baskets tied on either side of the carrier. The baskets would be filled with that days catch and crushed ice. The baskets would be dripping and was a sight to watch. The one that I looked for the most was this old lady who had a wet burlap lined wicker basket on her head selling greens. She had all kinds of greens. She would chew on the tobacco constantly. She was so kind and called everyone “kannu”. She would sing songs with the names of the greens that she had in the basket. She had an attitude like no one. So positive all the time. I loved watching her on the street. My mom would buy the greens and she would handle the change from a small pouch that she had tied to her saree. She would throw in a couple of sprigs of curry leaves and coriander leaves for free. That was customary then. Fresh produce was really the norm. The old lady is gone now. I only have memories of her. My mom used to make greens almost every day. She cooked simple food but I loved it. This is my moms recipe for making keerai kuzhambu. Her Keerai Kadayal recipe is a family favorite. She makes greens so flavorful that everyone at home loves greens. Here is how to do Keerai Kuzhambu with dal.
You can use any kind of regular keerai / greens like Arai keerai , siru keerai, amaranth and palak. Do not use bitter variety of leaves like drumstick leaves or methi. Wash and clean the greens and chop them roughly. Set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the cumin seeds, ginger and the roughly chopped curry leaves. Fry briefly for a minute.
Add in the chopped onions and saute until soft. About 2-3 minutes on medium flame. No need to brown the onions.
Add in the chopped tomatoes and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt and the turmeric powder. Saute on medium flame for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in half a cup of water to the mixture.
Add in the chopped greens / keerai and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on medium flame. Once the greens are cooked, add in one cup of toor dal to the pan. Let it simmer for two minutes.
Grind half a cup of fresh shredded coconut with half a cup of water to a fine paste. Add it to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. Keerai kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice for lunch.
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1½ inch piece ginger, finely minced
- 2 sprigs curry leaves, chopped
- 2 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
- 2 big tomatoes, finely chopped
- 4 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 250 grams keerai / greens
- 1 cup cooked toor dal
- ½ cup fresh shredded coconut
- Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the cumin seeds, ginger and the roughly chopped curry leaves. Fry briefly for a minute.
- Add in the chopped onions and saute until soft. About 2-3 minutes on medium flame. No need to brown the onions.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt and the turmeric powder. Saute on medium flame for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in half a cup of water to the mixture.
- Add in the chopped greens / keerai and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on medium flame. Once the greens are cooked, add in one cup of toor dal to the pan. Let it simmer for two minutes.
- Grind half a cup of coconut with half a cup of water to a fine paste. Add it to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. Keerai kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice for lunch.
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