Spinach Masiyal | Keerai Masiyal | How to make keerai masiyal

Keerai Masiyal is very similar to keerai koottu recipe except here there is no coconut+jeera paste and no moongdal daal as well. Arai Keerai, Mulai Keerai, Ponnanganni keerai were the most popular varieties that my mom used to cook this recipe with. She usually adds leftover keerai masiyal to Vethakuzhambu or Sambar that was prepared for lunch. Serves that keerai kuzhambu as a side dish to Idli/Dosai during dinner. 😋😋 Since am used to eating this combo from childhood whenever I make keerai masiyal, I ensure there is vethakuzhambu or arachu vitta sambar😊

 Unfortunately all these native Green varieties are very rare to get outside India. Atleast in London have seen few varieties but now in Limerick all I get is Spinach (palak leaves) . Without adding Daal (lentils) spinach is too bland and hence I add daal in my recipe. Also I don’t prefer grinding the spinach to a paste while making masiyal. It is slightly different from the usual traditional Masiyal recipes 🙂

Print Recipe

Spinach Masiyal | Keerai Masiyal | How to make keerai masiyal

Course

lunch, main course

Cuisine

south indian, tamil

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 400 gms Spinach
• 1/4 cup MoongDal
• 1/2 tsp rice flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric

For Tadka

• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp Jeera Seeds
• 1 tsp Hing
• 1 dried red chilli

Course lunch, main course Cuisine south indian, tamil Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings people Ingredients 400 gms Spinach 1/4 cup MoongDal 1/2 tsp rice flour 1/2 cup milk 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp turmeric For Tadka 1 tsp Oil 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp Jeera Seeds 1 tsp Hing 1 dried red chilli

Instructions

1. Pressure cook moongdal for upto 4-5 whistles and keep it aside
2. Chop palak leaves roughly
3. Rinse the leaves in water. If you are using Mulaikeerai,Arai keerai etc make sure you clean them thoroughly. Dirt & sand particles will spoil the taste of masiyal. Care should be taken in this step
4. In a wide bottomed vessel add spinach leaves, salt,turmeric,few drops of water and let it boil for 5 minutes approximately
5. You can see the leaves getting cooked and they shrink in size
6. Once the leaves are cooked add moongal
7. Make a paste out of riceflour+milk and add it to the spinach
8. Let the whole mixture boil for another 3-4 minutes
9. Turn off the stove. Use the backside of a ladle (if you don't have மத்து) and gently mash the keerai well
10. Heat oil in a Tadka Pan
11. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, hing and red chillies
12. Wait until the dal turns golden brown
13. Add this tadka to keerai and mix well
14. Creamy, delicious Spinach Masiyal is ready to be served

    

Recipe Notes

1. My Mom adds Rice flour+water paste to thicken the masiyal. But I feel adding milk gives lovely creamy texture to keerai. 

2. If you don't like the idea of adding milk then leave it out. Make a paste with water+rice flour

3. You can also directly add some desiccated  coconut while the spinach+daal is boiling..

4. If you don't have red chillies you can substitute it with green chillies or a tsp of Chilli Powder