My Cookbook | The Essential South Indian Cookbook
I am so excited to share that my new book, The Essential South Indian Cookbook, is coming out this October 2019! This book contains 75 South Indian recipes, including meat and seafood recipes. Thanks to Kat Green for taking care of the meat and seafood-based recipes. The recipes in this book will definitely let you explore the culture and the regional cuisines of South India. Right from idli, sambar, puttu, pesarattu, ragi mudde, vegetable curries, and gravies, I have it all. Let’s not forget the meat and seafood dishes as well and oh yeah the desserts too. :-) Preorder your copy today! Click here to preorder.
Quick Meal with Kootu:
Keerai Kootu – Moong Dal Spinach Gravy
Ingredients:
Spinach – 1 lb Kosher Salt – 2 tsps Ground Black Pepper – ½ tsp Tumeric powder – ¼ tsp Moong Dal – ¼ cup Water – ¾ cup To Temper: Coconut Oil – 2 tsps Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Urad Dal – 1 tsp Chana Dal – 1 tsp Hing – ¼ tsp To Grind: Grated Coconut – ½ cup Cumin Seeds 1 tbsp Dried Red Chilies – 2 (I used the Kashmiri Red Chili Variety) Water – 3 tbsps
Prep – Work:
Wash the spinach and drain the water. Chop them roughly. Grind the coconut, cumin seeds, and dried red chilies into a smooth paste by adding 3 tbsps of water. Wash the moong dal and pressure cook it by adding ¾ cup of water for up to three whistles. If using Instant Pot, then pressure cook it in manual mode for five minutes and release the pressure after five minutes or naturally. Allow the moong dal to cool and mash it roughly.
Steps:
Head the kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and the hing.
Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and then add the chopped spinach, salt, turmeric powder, and ground pepper.
Do not add any water. Mix the spinach and allow it to cook for five minutes stirring every two minutes.
In less than seven minutes, spinach will wilt and ooze out water. Now add the cooked moong dal and ground coconut paste.
Mix them thoroughly and cook for three to four minutes over low-medium heat.
If you want thin consistency, then add ½ to ¾ cup of water, and cook it for five more minutes.
Notes:
Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference. Adjust the water according to your consistency preference. Traditionally moong dal is used in the spinach kootu, but you can try with masoor dal / red lentils or with channa dal / Bengal gram dal. Try not to skip the ground pepper as it acts as an antiseptic.
📖 Recipe
PS:
I am sending this recipe to the BM 95. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#95
You will love these recipes, too:
Instant Pot Kadappa | Kumbakonam Kadappa Wadi Ki Biryani | Instant Pot Punjabi Wadi Biryani Kashmiri Peas Pulav | Instant Pot Pulav Sindhi Veg Biryani | Instant Pot Version