Keerai Kootu

If you love exploring new ways to cook with lentils or leafy greens, this recipe is just for you. This is one of the most basic vegetarian dishes from the Tamil cuisine and is a staple. It is usually eaten with steamed rice. But you can eat it with cooked millets, quinoa, flatbreads like roti, chapati or with dosas. It can also be consumed on its own like a soup.

About Keerai Kootu

A Kootu is always cooked with split and skinned lentils. A vegetable of choice like bottle gourd, chayote squash, pumpkin, snake gourd, cabbage or mixed vegetables are used. Since this a keerai recipe, we are using leafy greens but making it the same way as a traditional kootu. A small amount of coconut is the game changer and it adds so much flavor and texture to the finished dish.

Keerai Kootu is cooked in numerous ways and comes in different colors – dark green, light green, brown, yellow etc. It all depends on the amount and kind of greens used. If you use more mature greens and overcook, it turns out dark green. Using more chili powder produces a reddish/brown dish. You can easily play around with the quantities to your liking.

I have an expert tips section below to make this dish without a pressure cooker, or to cook in the Instant pot, variations and other inspirations.

Ingredients & substitutes

• Keerai / leafy greens: In this version, I am using baby spinach but feel free to use any leafy greens of choice. Amaranth, palak (Indian spinach), fenugreek leaves (methi), kale, moringa leaves, gongura , pea shoots, dill leaves, radish greens and any kind of spinach goes well in this recipe.
• Lentils: Traditionally moong dal (yellow skinned split lentils) is used. Some people also use a mix of moong and toor dal (split pigeon peas). This is my favorite choice too. But you may use red lentils if that’s what you have. Though they are not traditionally used in a kootu, I have made it on occasions and turns out good but you won’t get the same flavor as moong dal.
• Spices: You will need only mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilies, green chilies and garlic. My version of kootu also requires basic ground spices like red chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. If you want stronger flavors you may use sambar powder, kulambu thool or Curry powder. However I prefer adding them individually for milder flavor.
• Coconut: Traditionally fresh grated raw coconut is used. You can use frozen coconut that’s been thawed. If you are not accessible to fresh or frozen, you may use unsweetened shredded coconut, soaked in hot water until soft. Thick canned coconut milk also works.

Expert Tips

• Traditionally a lot of people fry dried red chilies and a tablespoon of dal. Grind them with coconut and cumin seeds. I do that while cooking kootu with bland vegetables like gourds and squash. For this Keerai Kootu, I prefer this simpler method of adding ground coriander and ground cumin.
• Traditionally the dish is cooked either with sesame oil or coconut oil. If you use oil to cook, add little ghee when you serve.
• I have tried this with unsweetened shredded coconut. It requires a thorough soaking and grinding very well with milk to mimic the fresh coconut flavors. I have tried it with dairy but plant milk should work the same way.
• Sometimes I add white coconut chutney (left from the morning breakfast) and that works very well. I omit green chilies in that case.
• Kootu is not a spicy dal, so avoid adding too many spices. It tastes best with minimal spices.
• Not everyone likes to eat the cooked curry leaves because they won’t always cook down soft. So you may add the whole sprig to the tempering and discard after cooking.
• If you don’t have a pressure cooker, Soak the lentils for 30 mins in hot water (1:3 ratio). Later cook them until mushy. Adjust the water as you cook, depending on the kind of lentils.
• To make this in instant pot/ pressure cooker, make the tempering, saute onions tomatoes and add the dal. Pressure cook for 11 mins or for 3 whistles, open and add the chopped spinach and ground coconut. Cook for a few minutes. This works best with young greens.