I was brought up in a place where there was at least one Moringa tree (Murungai maram) from house to house. I never get a chance to count how many people had it attracted for it attracted more caterpillars. I like butterflies but I had forgotten the fact that we were feeding nutrients for the future butterflies. That's why any type of spinach hardly made me hungry. Somehow I pulled through that phase of my life and got a chance to taste spinach which I loved it. Yay! So I tried replicating the same Moringa recipe with spinach. Believe it or not, it tasted just like my mom's recipe except there is no moringa in it. Well, it feeds my nostalgic hunger. Ever since then spinach has been one fixed item on our grocery list.
Spinach is one leafy green vegetable which is available all over the world. Though it has almost 90% water, it also has other nutritive value. It can be taken as food in various forms like it could decorate the table as salad, gravy, mash, stir fry, sambar ( lentil soup with tamarind), with pasta, with rice, etc.,
To make an authentic spinach mash recipe, you will a traditional Indian claypot ( Man satti) specially used for mashing. No worries if you don't have one, a normal blender can be used too.
Yellow lentils cooked in this recipe can also be cooked in the pressure cooker. For best results, slow cook the lentils in stock pot. It's better not to add water more than 3 cups as stated below. This water is used to cook lentils first and spinach later along with the 90% cooked lentils. What happens when lentils are cooked fully? Lentils can not be able to hold its shape when cooked fully. Then it will start to mix and could go with water when draining the excess water if any. It's better not to drain any water. That's the reason behind not to add too much water. Roasted potatoes or any roasted vegetables, egg, fried fish, bajji goes well with this can normally served as lunch.
For easy and simple video instruction, click the video below:
Recipe:
- Prep time - 20 mins ( if spinach bunch is used) ; otherwise no prep time ( if washed and cleaned spinach is used )
- Cooking time - 45 mins ( if cooked without pressure cooker); 20 mins (if boiled the lentils in pressure cooker)
Ingredients :
- 1 bunch Palak Keerai ( Spinach)
- Few drizzles of oil
- 3 cups or more water depending upon your lentils
- 1/4 cup washed Yellow lentils ( Thuvaram Paruppu)
- 1 large Tomato
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 Green chili pepper
- Around 1 tsp cooking oil divided for boiling and seasoning
- Salt to taste
- For seasoning :
- Few drizzles of Oil
- 1 Red dry chili pepper
- 1 tsp or less vadagam( Dry spices is the mixture of mustard seeds, black gram, cumin, dried onion, fennel, etc., ). If not dry spices, little mustard, split black gram could be used.
Method:
- In a stock pot or any deep utensil boil lentils along with few drizzles of oil, tomato, garlic cloves, green chilli pepper in 3 cups water.
- Once the lentils are 90% cooked add in the spinach and cook for 5 more mins. Do not add too much of water as when the spinach turns softer and the lentils gets mashed when it's cooked for longer time. So when the water is drained, the lentils will be gone. (Note: Lentils and the spinach are cooked in the same water.)
- In a clay pot (satti ) masher or in a blender, add in the cooked mixture.
- Mash/ blend it with enough salt into a smooth or coarse to taste.
- Season it with few drizzles of oil, red chili pepper and dry spices. (Note: If clay pot is used, add the seasoning in the middle of mashing. If blender is used, add the seasoning at the end and don't blend further.)
- Serve with hot rice with few drizzles of ghee ( Clarified butter).
Hope you liked this recipe. I will share another interesting recipe in my next post. Your feedback and comments are welcome. Have a good day!
Good Recipe
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