KEERAI KUZHAMBU / SPINACH GRAVY

Hope u all celebrated diwali very well I too had a nice time at my in-laws house..Coming to the dish ,

This is my mom’s signature dish.I love this kuzhambu a lot..Whenever i visit my mother’s place , she prepare this especially for me.With beetroot poriyal  and papad / Appalam , it tastes divine.

Ingredients :

• Amaranthus tricolor/ Arai keerai – 1 bunch (1 kattu)
• Toor dal – 1 handful
• Tamarind – Small gooseberry size
• Hing / asafetida –  2 pinches
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Salt & water – As needed.

To grind:

• Coconut – 1 finger size
• Small onions – 2 nos
• Jeera / cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp

To temper:

• Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
• Small onions – 5-10 nos (chopped finely)
• Red chilly – 2 –3 nos

Method :

• Clean & wash the leaves and chop it finely.
• Cook the leaves with the required water and Set aside.
• Pressure cook toor dal for 2 – 3 whistles until it becomes mushy.
• Soak the tamarind in warm water for 15 mins and extract the juice from it.Grind all the items given under “To grind “ to make a smooth paste. Keep aside.
• Then heat a kadai and add the mustard seeds , red chilly , urad dal and small onions.
• Add the tamarind extract , cooked spinach , hing , salt and required water.
• Allow it to boil till the onion gets cooked.
• Finally add the cooked toor dal  and the ground coconut paste.
• Boil again for 5 mins and switch it off ..
• Serve hot with rice and ghee !!

Papad and any poriyal/curry serves as the best accompaniment for this kuzhambu. My mom usually makes beetroot or carrot poriyal..

KITCHEN CLINIC :

SPINACH : The health benefits of spinach are numerous and its ability to help prevent disease is well known. Spinach is at the top of many super food lists. Spinach Nutrition Spinach and other dark leafy greens like kale, collards, Swiss chard, turnip greens and bok choy are loaded with calcium, folic acid, vitamin K and iron. Spinach is also rich in vitamin C, fiber and carotenoids. Add its lutein and bioflavanoids and spinach is a nutritional powerhouse. Why Eat Spinach? Spinach nutrition is amazing. The calcium content in spinach and the other dark leafy greens mentioned above strengthens bones. The A and C vitamins in spinach plus the fiber, folic acid, magnesium and other nutrients help control cancer, especially colon, lung and breast cancers. Folate also lowers the blood levels of something called homocysteine, a protein that damages arteries. So spinach also helps protect against heart disease. The flavonoids in spinach help protect against age related memory loss. Spinach's secret weapon, lutein, makes it one of the best foods in the world to prevent cataracts, as well as age related macular degeneration, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the elderly. Foods rich in lutein are also thought to help prevent cancer. As you can see, the health benefits of spinach are numerous. The vitamins and calcium in spinach, combined with the overall nutritional value of spinach, make this vegetable and its dark leafy green cousins top picks for healthy food choices. Fresh or frozen, add these greens to your food menu as often as you can. Amaranthus tricolor (Tamil: Arai keerai): Tender and mature leaves are cooked and eaten as spinach or prepared to sambar (dhal preparation).  Stems made into chutney or koottu, or added to sambar and boiled can then be consumed.  The leaves contain 5.2% of proteins, fat 0.3%, fibre 6.1%, carbohydrates 3.8% and minerals 2.8%.  In addition, calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin C are present. Amaranthus spinosus (Tamil: Mulaikkerai): Leaves and tender stems are prepared to koottu or as spinach and consumed by the traditional people.  Testing of the leaves and tender stems revealed the presence of 0.5% fat, 3.0% proteins, 8.1% carbohydrates and 1.3% fibres.  In addition, calcium, phosphorus, iron, nicotinic acid and ascorbic acid are present.  This spinach is excellent for people suffering from calcium deficiency.

TRIED & TASTED :

CHOW CHOW ARAICHU VITTA  KOOTU FROM PRIYA’S BLOG

Thanks a ton priya.I loved this kootu ..I am buying chow chow nowadays just to prepare this.I’ll treasure this recipe..