Spinach Kootu Recipe - South Indian Kootu Recipe with Spinach

Spinach (keerai in Tamil, cheera in Malayalam, palak in Hindi) is one of those vegetables that I ate while growing up only because my grand mom told me repeatedly that it would aid growing hair. So I ate spinach in all forms - cheera thoran, palak dal, palak pulao, even keerai masiyal - and I guess I did have thick hair as a child but it was always chopped off when it reached shoulder length anyway. When I fought with my mom over this, she switched the story over and said spinach is actually good for your eyes too. Well, ok. My eyes stay with me forever so that seemed like a good enough reason.

This was back when I was too young to realise how special a home-grown, organic bunch of spinach actually is. My grand mom would spend hours squatting near them as they grew, often plucking out worms and caterpillars by hand. She was quite an edible gardener, my grand mom. Of all the vegetables we grew on our terrace, spinach was the most successful and most loved by her. She would make a Reddiar-style masiyal (we call it sithondu kooraku) with them which looked like ground henna leaves but was out of this world in its simplicity and flavour.

{My favourite? It's this chow chow kootu that's wonderfully flavourful}

I don't remember eating a lot of Spinach Kootu as a child but this one is a favourite now and I serve it with both rasam and rice and also chapatis. For pairing with kootu, pick a rasam without dal, like this tomato rasam or this pepper rasam.

SPINACH KOOTU RECIPE

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup of moong dal (cherupayar, paasi paruppu)
3 cups of packed, chopped spinach leaves
1 tomato (optional)
1/3 cup of grated coconut
1 tsp of cumin seeds (jeera, jeerakam)
2 shallots
1/2 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of oil
1 tsp of mustard seeds

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash the dal and add to a large cooking pot along with the spinach, chopped tomato (if using), turmeric, and 2 cups of water.

2. Simmer until the ingredients are cooked and soft. This takes about 10-12 mins on low flame. If not done, cook longer and add more water if required.

3. Meanwhile, grind together coconut + shallots + garlic + red chilli powder + cumin seeds with some water to a smooth paste.

4. Add this to the cooked dal mixture along with 1 cup water. Note that if the cooked dal is watery, you can skip adding more.

5. Simmer for another 5-8 mins. Add salt.

6. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add to the cooked kootu. Mix well.

Serve spinach kootu hot with rasam and rice or chapati / roti. You can make this kootu with chana dal (kadala paruppu) too.

Palak Aloo Tikki - Aloo Palak Tikki - Quick & Easy Snack Recipes

I love aloo tikki more so for its simplicity than the fact that tikkis in general are so delicious. I often make aloo tikki with grated potato which makes it so much quicker since you don't have to boil the potatoes first but my mom in law recently introduced me to this lovely aloo tikki with palak or spinach which bowled me over. You do need to boil the aloo and do a bit of saut�ing and mixing but oh it's definitely worth it.

We actually made two kinds of tikkis (or koftas or cutlets,they were kinda similar), one with aloo and palak and one with raw banana. The raw banana one was more like a kebab and a tad more time consuming while these aloo palak tikkis came together in a jiffy especially since we boiled the potatoes ahead of time.

More quick and easy tikki or cutlet recipes:
Aloo Paneer Kofta
Potato Tikki
Vegetable Cutlets
Soya Chunks Cutlets
Paneer Cutlets

PALAK ALOO TIKKI RECIPE

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes ~10-12 tikkis
Recipe source: Mom-in-law

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of boiled and mashed potatoes (aloo)
• 1 cup of packed chopped spinach (palak)
• 1 tsp of minced ginger
• 1 green chill, chopped
• 1/2 tsp of powdered jeera or cumin
• 1 tbsp of rice flour
• 2 tbsp of besan or gram flour (adjust as required)
• To taste: of salt
• 1 tsp of oil + more for deep frying

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the ginger and green chillies.

2. Saute for a minute and add the chopped spinach.

3. Once the spinach has wilted and is semi-cooked (about 2-3 mins), add to the mashed potato.

4. Add rice flour, besan, salt, and jeera to this.

5. Mix well to form a thick tikki dough that's not very moist. If it seems sticky, add more besan.

6. Make lime-sized balls with the tikki dough and set aside.

7. Heat the oil for deep frying. Fry the tikkis until golden brown turning them in the oil at regular intervals.

Serve aloo palak tikkis hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.

Palak Pulao Recipe - Indian Spinach Rice - Step by Step Recipe

My mom-in-law made this amazing Palak Pualo (Keerai Sadam or Spinach Rice) when we had gone back to India last year. I very diligently took pictures as she cooked and then duly forgot to take a picture of the final dish. The palak pulao taste lingered in my mind for a long time and I finally made it a few days back. Spinach rice is a great one pot meal and doesn't need any elaborate side dishes as it's balanced and nutritious on its own. Also, since we use the pressure cooker for making this spinach rice, it makes our job much quicker and easier.

What I loved about her spinach rice recipe is the ground coconut-coriander leaves paste that adds a wonderful flavour and makes the rice delicious. Since spinach is a bit bland on its own, I highly recommend adding all the ingredients mentioned so that you can serve it as a one-pot meal.

Since TH and I love spinach in pretty much any form - his favour dish ever is Palak Paneer - this rice is a welcome lunch for us. You can use any variety of spinach that's available, just make sure to use green spinach and fresh leaves if you can.

PALAK PULAO RECIPE (SPINACH RICE)

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4
Recipe source: Mom-in-law

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of rice, washed
• 1 large bunch of spinach, washed and coarsely chopped
• 1 tomato, cubed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 green chillies (optional)
• 2 tsp ghee or oil
• 1/2 tsp jeera or cumin
• 10 roasted cashew nuts, for garnish (optional)

To grind:

• 1/4 cup of grated coconut
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 1 onion or a few shallots (chinna vengayam)
• 1 tsp of red chilli powder
• 1 tsp of garam masala

How to make Spinach Rice:

1. Heat the ghee in your pressure cooker pan (we used a wider pan to make it easier to take pictures). Add the sliced onions and saute until it lightly browns.

2. Then add the cubed tomatoes and the green chillies, slit lengthwise (if using).

3. Add the chopped spinach and mix well.

Let it cook for a while. The spinach will let out water so there's no need to add any more at this time.

5. In the meantime, grind the ingredients under "to grind" with some water to a smooth paste.

6. Add this to the spinach mixture and mix well.

Next, add the rice and some salt and mix again (we transferred the spinach rice mixture to the pressure pan now to finish the cooking process. As mentioned, you can do all the steps in a pressure cooker pan since this is a one-pot rice dish). Add about 2.5 cups water, close the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles or about 15 mins. The amount of water required will depend on the type of rice you are using.

Once done, garnish with roasted cashew nuts and serve hot with curd / cucumber raita and appalam / vadaam.

Notes:

1. Add a fistful of mint leaves to the paste while grinding for some added flavour
2. If you don't want to use garam masala, use biryani masala, or even some coriander powder. The flavours will be different and more subtle/pronounced depending on your choice
3. You can omit the coconut but the pulao will definitely lack in some flavour. 
4. If you don't want to use a pressure cooker, use a wide pan and cook closed on low flame until the rice is cooked and soft. 
5. Add a clove of garlic to the paste. Try it!

For Palak Pulao recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, please use the Google Translate button on the top right of this website.

Palak Paneer Recipe | Spinach Paneer Recipe

Learn how to make Palak Paneer: this my recipe that's perfected over the years by adding and subtracting ingredients to suit our palates. My version of Palak Paneer contains no cream.

Today, TH turns 31. I met him when he was 24. Both of us were younger, slimmer, naiver, and he really wasn't TH back then, just this goofy funny guy who made me laugh all the time and ridiculed my Tamil. Most of that has changed now except one thing. TH's love for Palak Paneer. When he first told me how much he loves Garlic Nan with Palak Paneer, I was surprised because where I come from, most guys don't really like spinach. TH is neutral towards other spinach dishes but Palak Paneer, he adores. He has tried Palak Paneer in pretty much every city we have traveled to and is still on the quest to find the best Palak Paneer in Singapore.

Since we eat it so often when we go out for meals, I rarely make Palak Paneer at home. This one time I did make it, I used red amaranth leaves and way too much spices. Check out my first version of Palak Paneer Recipe here.

Since then I've realised that Palak needs spices to make it less blah but the spices need to edge it on, not overpower it and become bossy. If you are serving this with nan, the flavours need to be just right so that it complements the nan perfectly.

Anyway, on TH's birthday this year, I wanted to share his most favourite dish and the recipe I have perfected over 4-5 trials. As mentioned, when I make Palak Paneer, I like to keep the recipe simple and don't add unnecessary thickening agents or cream.

Palak Paneer Recipe

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup of cubed paneer (how to make paneer at home)
1 large bunch of palak (or green spinach)
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 tsp of minced ginger
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of jeera (cumin) powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1 large pinch of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp of garam masala
2 tsp of ghee (or oil)
1 pinch of hing (or asafoetida)
1 heaping tsp of tomato paste (or 1 pureed tomato) - optional
1 cup of milk (or water)
1 tbsp of plain curd (or yogurt) - optional

How to Make Palak Paneer:

1. The first step is to blanch the spinach. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and dunk the washed spinach leaves in it. Let it simmer for about 2 mins and then remove. Puree to a smooth paste.

2. Drain the water and in the same bowl, heat the ghee or oil. Add the cumin powder and within 5 seconds, add the chopped onions. Saute until golden brown and add the spice powders like coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder, and hing. Fry for a few seconds, taking care not to burn them spices.

3. Next, add the minced ginger and garlic and the tomato paste if using. Mix well and add the pureed spinach.

4. Top this off with the milk. Mix well, bring to boil and add the kasuri methi and salt.

5. Cook covered for about 6-8 mins until the spinach is completely cooked and spices have blended well into the gravy. Gently add the paneer pieces to the gravy.

6. Top off with a tbsp of curd (plain yogurt) if you want the gravy to be thicker. Sprinkle garam masala. Mix well and remove from the stove.

Done! Delicious piping hot Palak Paneer is now ready.

Palak Paneer with Easy Vegetable Pulao (click for recipe)

Notes:

- You can fry the paneer pieces in some oil, dunk it into hot water for a few seconds, squeeze and set aside to be added to the gravy later. This makes the paneer softer. Since I used fresh homemade Paneer, I avoided this step.

- Adjust the quantity of spices to your liking. For me, these quantities work out perfectly.

- You can add a couple of green chillies to the spinach while grinding instead of using red chilli powder. I generally do this but didn't have any fresh green chillies in hand that day.

Serve Palak Paneer as a Side Dish with:

Tawa Nan
Jeera Rice
Methi Paratha
Simple Vegetable Pulav
Triangular Chapatis
Vegetable Biryani

Spinach Adai | Keerai Adai Recipe

I love adai. I love any recipe with spinach. So when these two are married? Oh boy!

It was love at first sight when I saw this gorgeous adai on Anu's blog. I made it soon after and absolutely loved it. Since adai batter doesn't need fermenting, this is far easier to make than regular dosa. I had the batter for 3 days in the refrigerator and it was just fine.

Spinach Adai | Keerai Adai Recipe

Preparation time: 3 hours
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes ~20 adai
Recipe inspired by Anu

Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
1/3 cup of toor dal (tuvaram paruppu)
1/3 cup of channa dal (kadala paruppu)
1 large bunch of spinach
1 tsp of cumin seeds (jeera)
3-4 dry red chillies
1 tsp of coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of black pepper powder
1/4 cup of grated coconut
1 tsp of oil
Salt to taste

How to Make Spinach Adai:

1. Add the dals to the rice, wash, and soak for at least 2 hours.

2. Heat the oil and add add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, red chillies, and pepper. Fry for 30 seconds and add the spinach, roughly chopped. Cook for 2 mins until the spinach begins to wilt and shrink.

3. Grind the soaked rice-dal mixture along with the spinach mixture and coconut with some salt and water. The mixture can be slightly coarse, that's totally fine.

4. You can make the adai immediately. Make sure both sides are cooked until slightly golden. I used gingelly oil to cook them up.

Serve hot with coconut chutney. For a change, I served it with two of my favourites - chow chow kootu - and tomato thokku. Yum!

Thanks for the awesome recipe Anu! You rock :)