Puli itta keerai | spinach cooked in tamarind gravy, this is a traditional recipe made at our home, but my mil makes a different version. She makes like a keerai sambar but we generally call it as keerai puli itta kootu. Last year i attended a cookery class of Shri. Mount Mani Iyer, a popular caterer in Chennai. He taught as few Tirunelveli brahmin style recipes and one among them is this keerai puli itta kootu. I was planning to post this recipe from a long time, but some how couldn’t make it. Few weeks back, when i was searching for the paper in which i have noted the recipe, i couldn’t trace that. I misplaced it somewhere. I asked a friend who attended the class with me and she immediately sent the picture of the recipe paper. I tried it today and it tasted so similar to the one Shri. Mani Iyer made. We tasted the puli itta keerai with kal dosai in the cookery demo, but today i served with plain rice. It went well with rice too.
Puli itta keerai recipe
Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 Mins |Serves: 2-3
Spinach | Keerai 2 cups (chopped)
Tamarind a small gooseberry sized
Sesame oil 2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Channa dal 1 tsp
Red chili 3-4
Asafoetida 2 pinches
Salt as needed
Jaggery 1 tsp
Sugar 1/4 tsp
Method:
- In a pan cook the spinach by adding little salt and the sugar. Adding sugar retains the colour if the spinach even after it is cooked.
- Cook the spinach by adding 3/4 cup of water.
- You can pressure cook for 1-2 whistles too.
- Allow this to cool and grind into a smooth paste.
- Extract the tamarind juice by adding 1 cup of water.
- In a pan add sesame oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, asafoetida and red chili.
- When the dal turns brown, add the tamarind water.
- Add salt and jaggery powder.
- Let this boil for 2 minutes.
- Add the spinach puree to this.
- Mix well and if needed add little water to get the right consistency.
- Boil this for 10 minutes.
- Switch off the flame.
- Puli itta keerai is ready to serve.
Method:
- In a pan cook the spinach by adding little salt and the sugar. Adding sugar retains the colour if the spinach even after it is cooked.
- Cook the spinach by adding 3/4 cup of water.
- You can pressure cook for 1-2 whistles too.
- Allow this to cool and grind into a smooth paste.
- Extract the tamarind juice by adding 1 cup of water.
- In a pan add sesame oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, asafoetida and red chili.
- When the dal turns brown, add the tamarind water.
- Add salt and jaggery powder.
- Let this boil for 2 minutes.
- Add the spinach puree to this.
- Mix well and if needed add little water to get the right consistency.
- Boil this for 10 minutes.
- Switch off the flame.
- Puli itta keerai is ready to serve.
Notes:
- Do not add more tamarind water, also extract thin water from the tamarind.
- Adding sugar to the keerai while cooking retains the green colour of the spinach.
- You can use arai keerai or mullai keerai. I used the round spinach available in the local Fairprice shops.
it will in sambar consistency or kootu? I am planning to make it accompliment for Arachuvitta sambar.
Kind of kootu consistency. Since it has tamarind, it won't go well with sambar.
What is the best accompaniment for this?
Any curry like ladies finger, potato will go well with this.
It has to be made with any particular type of keerai.. or any keerai can be used?
You can any variety of keerai.