Keerai Masiyal
soft mashed greens with dal and a garlic tempering, the everyday rice-plate side
Allergens in Keerai Masiyal: sesame, mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 1 large bunch, about 400g, leaves picked Amaranth Greensarai keerai; spinach works if you cannot find it
- 1/4 cup Toor Dal
- 2 tbsp Moong Dalsoftens faster and helps the mashoptional
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 5 cloves, lightly crushed Garlic
- 3, broken Dried Red Chilli
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetidause compounded-free hing to keep this gluten-free
- 1.5 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 400ml Water
- to taste Salt
Cookware
stovetop, pressure cooker
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Pick the leaves off the thick stalks and wash them in three changes of water, amaranth carries grit.
- Soak the toor dal 20 minutes if your cooker runs fast; it should collapse completely, not hold its shape.
Method
- Pressure cook the toor dal and moong dal with turmeric and 300ml water for 4 whistles, then let the pressure fall on its own.
- Meanwhile boil the greens in 100ml water with a pinch of salt, uncovered, for 5 minutes until they wilt to a quarter of their volume.Cook the greens uncovered. A lid traps the acid and turns them army green.
- Mash the cooked dal with the back of a ladle until smooth.
- Tip the greens and their liquid into the dal and mash together with a wooden masher for a minute. It should be thick and spoonable, not soupy.
- Simmer 5 minutes over low heat, seasoning with salt.
- For the tempering, heat the sesame oil and crackle the mustard seeds, then add the cumin, red chillies and crushed garlic.Wait for the mustard to pop before anything else goes in, or the seeds turn bitter rather than nutty.
- Fry until the garlic is golden at the edges, about 90 seconds, then stir in the asafoetida off the heat.
- Pour the tempering over the masiyal, stir once and serve with hot rice and a spoon of sesame oil.
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat gently with a splash of water; the greens dull in colour but the flavour deepens. Do not freeze. The mash goes watery.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Keerai Masiyal (217 g) is about 150 calories, or 69 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 7 g a serving, 19% of the calories
| Per serving217 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 150 kcal | 69 kcal |
| Protein | 7.2 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 18.0 g | 8 g |
| of which sugars | 0.5 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 3.2 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 6.5 g | 3 g |
| of which saturated | 1.0 g | 0 g |
| of which unsaturated | 5.2 g | 2 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for asafoetida. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Quick Indian recipes (30 min) · Healthy Indian recipes · Vegan Indian recipes · Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Tamil Nadu recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.