Mulai Keerai Kootu | Amaranth Leaves Kootu | Thotakura Kootu

Mulai Keerai Kootu | Amaranth Leaves Kootu | Thotakura Kootu is a dhal based gravy prepared with mulai keerai | amaranth leaves. Mulai keerai in Tamil is known as Amaranth leaves in English and Thotakura in Telugu. Recently, we are getting fresh, tender greens here  in Chennai. Yesterday, I got a bunch of mulai  keerai  and I made this Keerai kootu since it’s my family’s favorite.  Ofcourse, all greens have their characteristic flavour & taste and when we add the right ingredients, we can bring out the real flavours of any green!

Here we go for the recipe!

Ingredients:

• Mulai keerai (chopped) - 2 cups
• Moong dhal     - ¾ cup
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Shallots            (chopped) - 8 Nos.
• Green chillies(slitted) – 2 Nos.
• Tomato            (chopped) – 1 No.
• Scraped coconut – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

For seasoning:

• Mustard – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds (Jeera) -1 tsp
• Red chilli – 1 No.
• Asafoetida | Hing – a pinch
• Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Clean, wash and finely chop mulai keerai.
2. Cook the moong dhal with turmeric powder  and water until very soft.
3. Pour oil in a kadai and season with the items given “For seasoning”.
4. Then add onion, green chillies  and tomato, sauté for a minute. Now add mulai keerai and mix everything and cook in simmer for about 3 minutes till the greens shrink to half the initial amount.
5. Then add cooked moong dhal along with ¼ cup of water and mix well. Cook the greens with a lid covered for 5 minutes.
6. When the greens get done, add coconut gratings and required salt, mix everything and cook for a minute.

Your tasty, healthy mulai keerai paasi paruppu kootu is ready!! This can  be mixed with rice along with a drop of ghee or can be taken as side dish for kara kuzhambu, Meenkuzhambu or for rasam. Today I served this kootu with Vendaikkai Puli Kuzhambu!

Note:

• You can use the stem if it is tender otherwise use only the greens.
• Carefully add water while cooking greens with dhal to get kootu consistency .

Tags: Greens Recipes, Kootu recipes, Mulai keerai Moon dhal kootu recipe, Amaranth leaves kootu, Amaranth leaves recipe, Thotakura Kootu recipe, Mulai keerai paasi paruppu kootu, Mulai keerai kootu with moon dhal, Keerai Recipes, Side dish for rice, Healthy side dish with greens, Diabetic recipes