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Keerai masiyal
கீரை மசியல்: Tamil mashed greens with garlic, cumin and green chilli
Keerai masiyal is the plain, green, buttery-soft mash Tamil mothers make with whatever keerai the market has that morning: arai keerai, siru keerai, amaranth or plain spinach. The leaves are cooked with shallots, garlic and green chilli and then mashed, traditionally with a wooden mathu, until smooth but still a little textured, then finished with a cumin tempering. It's eaten mixed into hot rice with a spoon of ghee or sesame oil, next to sambar or rasam, and it's a favourite first food for toddlers. Chef's tip: cook the greens uncovered; covering them traps the gases that turn the leaves dull olive instead of bright green.
- Total time
- 22 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the tempering
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 6 shallots, 4 garlic cloves, 2 green chillies, ½ tsp cumin seeds, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and ¼ cup water in a pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Simmer for 3 minutes until the shallots soften.
4 minStep 2: Add 14 oz amaranth leaves or spinach and cook uncovered over a medium heat, stirring, for 5–6 minutes until the leaves wilt and the stems are tender. Amaranth stems should crush easily between your fingers.
6 minStep 3: Take off the heat, add ¾ tsp salt and mash with a wooden masher or pulse 2–3 times in a blender to a coarse purée. Common mistake: blending it completely smooth; masiyal should have a soft, slightly rough texture, not be a soup.
Step 4: Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil or sesame oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds; when it crackles add 1 tsp urad dal, ½ tsp cumin seeds and 1 dried red chilli and fry until the dal is golden and the cumin smells toasty, about 30 seconds. Add ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida and pour over the greens.
1 minStep 5: Stir and serve warm with rice and a little ghee or sesame oil.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 80 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does keerai masiyal take?
- About 22 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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