Keerai Vepudu | Keerai poriyal | Keerai thuvattal, is a dry curry made with spinach. Vepudu is basically Andhra style curry. I learnt this keerai vepudu from Chef. Venkatesh bhat’s show few months back. I have tried this few times at home and recently made this during last weekend and shared in Jeyashri’s kitchen Instagram too. I generally make keerai kootu and poriyal is a rare thing i make using round spinach. Generally keerai poriyal will be made using Murunga keerai | drumstick leaves. Both my kids will never fuss for keerai kootu and in fact they love to have spinach. But they won’t prefer keerai in the form of poriyal. This keerai vepudu, they liked it, but since i made Sambar sadam along with that, they skipped eating the vepudu this time.
Keerai Vepudu recipe
Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 15 Mins |Serves: 2-3
Spinach | keerai 1 bunch (2 cups chopped)
Garlic 20 cloves
Onion 1
Red chili 2
Green chili 1
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Oil 3 tsp
Peanuts 1 tblsp
Coconut 1 tblsp
Salt as needed
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Method:
- Chop the spinach finely. I used the round spinach available here in local Fair Price shops.
- You can use arai keerai or mullai keerai ,Amaranth leaves too.
- In a saucepan boil 3 cups of water and add sugar to this.
- When it boils nicely add the chopped spinach to this and switch off the pan.
- Immediately drain the water and pour cold water to this. This step will reduce the cooking further more and retain the green colour.
- Keep it aside.
- Chop the onions finely. Take out the skin of the garlic.
- I used roasted peanuts, if using raw peanuts, dry roast it and keep aside.
- In a pan add oil and add mustard seeds and red chili. Slit the green chili and also add to it.
- Add the finely chopped onions and the whole garlic.
- Cook till the onions become translucent.
- Add the cooked keerai to this.
- Add salt and mix well.
- Cook this for 2 minutes in a low flame.
- Coarsely grind the peanuts and add to this now. I used roasted peanuts.
- Add the coconut to this too.
- Mix well.
- Switch off the flame.
- Keerai vepdu is ready to serve.
Method with step by step pictures:
- Chop the spinach finely. I used the round spinach available here in local Fair Price shops.
- You can use arai keerai or mullai keerai,Amaranth leaves too.
- In a saucepan boil 3 cups of water and add sugar to this.
- When it boils nicely add the chopped spinach to this and switch off the pan.
- Immediately drain the water and pour cold water to this. This step will reduce the cooking further more and retain the green colour.
- Keep it aside.
- Chop the onions finely. Take out the skin of the garlic.
- I used roasted peanuts, if using raw peanuts, dry roast it and keep aside. Coarsely grind this and keep aside.
- In a pan add oil and add mustard seeds and red chili. Slit the green chili and also add to it.
- Add the finely chopped onions and the whole garlic.
- Cook till the onions become translucent.
- Add the cooked keerai to this.
- Add salt and mix well.
- Cook this for 2 minutes in a low flame.
- Coarsely grind the peanuts and add to this now. I used roasted peanuts.
- Add the coconut to this too.
- Mix well.
- Switch off the flame.
- Keerai vepudu is ready to serve.
Notes:
- If you do not want to blanch this, cook for few more minutes after the spinach. Sprinkle water as ad when needed.
- Adding peanut is optional but it gives a nice crunchiness to the keerai vepdu.
Super idea, creative. Thanks