Keerai Kootu (Greens with Lentils)

Name: Keerai Kootu
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Tamilnadu)
Ingredients: 3 cups fresh greens (murungai keerai / drumstick leaves, or arai keerai / amaranth, or palak), cleaned; ½ cup moong dal (pasi paruppu), washed; ¼ tsp turmeric; ¾ tsp salt; ½ cup fresh grated coconut; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1–2 green chillies; 3 tbsp water; 2 tsp coconut oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; ½ tsp urad dal; 1 dried red chilli; 2 sprigs curry leaves; Squeezing moisture from blanched greens is critical — wet greens make the kootu watery.; Drumstick leaves (murungai keerai) are the most nutritious option — exceptionally high in iron, calcium, and vitamin C.; Do not skip the blanching step — it reduces bitterness and the oxalic acid in greens.

🌱 Vegan🌾 Gluten-free📊 Easy

Fresh greens (drumstick leaves, amaranth, or spinach) combined with moong dal and a freshly ground coconut-cumin paste — the standard Tamil dinner kootu. Semi-dry, protein-rich, and deeply satisfying as a side with rice and sambar.

⏱️15 minPrep

🔥20 minCook

🕒35 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Keerai Kootu

Pressure cook dal (medium): Moong dal with 1 cup water and turmeric — 2 whistles. Release naturally. Mash gently.
Blanch the greens (high heat): Boil 2 cups water. Add greens — blanch 2 minutes (drumstick leaves) or 1 minute (palak/amaranth). Drain immediately. Cool under cold water 30 seconds. Squeeze out water firmly.
Grind the paste (no heat): Grind coconut, cumin, and green chillies with 3 tbsp water to a thick paste.
Combine and cook (medium heat): In a wide pan, add the cooked mashed dal. Add squeezed greens and the coconut paste. Add salt. Stir thoroughly. Cook on medium for 5–6 minutes, stirring every minute, until the coconut paste smell is fully cooked off and the kootu is semi-dry. Pull-away-from-sides visual cue.
Temper (high heat): Heat coconut oil. Mustard — crackle. Urad dal — golden. Red chilli + curry leaves (15 sec). Pour over kootu. Mix.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 175 kcal | 8 g | 18 g | 7 g | 6 g | Keerai Kootu is a mandatory item in the traditional Tamil Brahmin saapadu — served alongside sambar, rasam, and rice. In Tamil Nadu, drumstick leaves (murungai keerai) are universally grown in home gardens and considered so nutritious that many rural Tamil families eat them daily. The leaves are among the most nutrient-dense foods in the world — known internationally as "moringa." Tamil grandmothers have cooked murungai keerai kootu for centuries without knowing the modern nutrition science; they simply knew it was good. ---

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