Keerai Molagootal recipe with video and stepwise pictures. A typical Palakkad TamBrahm recipe that does not use onion or garlic.
This makes this molagootal a perfect fasting day (Vrat) recipe.
Molagootal tastes very mild where the spice quota is concerned.
This makes it apt for toddlers and elders who cannot eat spicy food.
You can either serve this as a side dish or make it a main dish by mixing it with rice and serving with any dry curry of your choice.
Though keerai kootu and molagootal use almost the same ingredients and the general process may look same, both are different.
My childhood days are spent eating this keerai molagootal sadam piping hot with lots of ghee added to the rice for lunch.
The only difference is that my Grandma used to transfer the entire thing to a keerai chatti for mashing it all together before boiling and tempering the molagootal.
Whereas now I use an immersion blender and grind the contents to a pulp.
But of course there is no comparison to the taste of mashing the keerai in the keerai chatti gives to the molagootal.
So if you have the time, do put your keerai chatti to good use provided you have one.
What other types of spinach (keerai) can be used?
I have used regular spinach (palak) keerai here as I prefer the creamy texture it gives to the molagootal.
Other than palak, you can basically use any type of spinach also like
- Arai Keerai
- Mulai Keerai
- Sigappu Mulai Keerai (Red Amaranthus)
- Mulai Keerai
- Pasalai Keerai (Malabar Spinach)
- Paruppu Keerai (purslane)
- Manathakkali Keerai (Black night shade leaves)
- Karisalaanganni (Bhringaraj)
- Vallarai (Brahmi)
All the above keerai types either as a standalone or in combination, will work well as we are pressure cooking it along with dal.
The only difference will be the taste and the texture based on the spinach variety you choose to use. But the process is the same.
Points to note:
Adjust the red chillies according to your spice level.
Use coconut oil for tempering for authentic taste. It will also enhance the flavour as this recipe hails from Kerala.
You can use moong dal also in place of tur dal or a combination of both, though only tur dal is predominantly used for making molagootal.
You can also use cumin seeds and urad dal while tempering the molagootal. But I always skip using dal as my children do not prefer it in this one.
Always use salt less than it would generally require whenever cooking spinach. Little goes a long way.
Stepwise pictures for spinach lentil curry:
Add urad dal and red chillies to a pan.
Roast till golden brown.
Take grated coconut, cumin and roasted ingredients in a mixie jar.
Grind to a smooth paste and set aside.
Take tur dal and palak in a pressure cooker
Pressure cook till dal is soft.
Pulse with an immersion blender.
Add the ground paste.
Mix till well combined.
Cook till it froths on top.
Make a tempering with mustard and dry chillies.
Add to the molagootal and mix well.
You can also check these different spinach recipes:
Check out our video for making keerai molagootal below:
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more recipe videos.
Keerai Molagootal Recipe details below:
Recipe
Keerai Molagootal
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- Palak or Spinach - 2 bunch
- Tur dal - ¼ cup
- Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- Water - 1+½ cups divided
- Salt - to taste
To roast & grind:
- Urad dal - 2 tsp
- Dry red chillies - 3 or 4
- Freshly grated coconut - ½ cup
- Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
- Oil - 2 tsp
For tempering:
- Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
- Dry red chillies - 3
- Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Instructions
Preparation:
- Pick and clean palak bunch.
- Wash well & drain. Roughly chop the palak and set aside.
- Rinse tur dal and soak in water for 15 mins.
To roast & grind:
- Heat a pan with oil and when warm, add urad dal & dry red chillies.
- Roast over medium flame till it becomes golden brown in colour.
- Switch off the stove & let it cool.
- Transfer to a mixie jar, add coconut, cumin seeds, ½ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
To make keerai molagootal:
- To a pressure pan, add drained tur dal, chopped palak, turmeric powder, ½ cup water and close with lid.
- Cook over medium flame for 3 to 4 whistles or till the dal gets cooked well.
- Once the pressure releases, using an immersion blender grind both to a coarse paste. You can also grind it in a mixie jar & then return it to the pan for cooking further.
- Add ground paste, rinse the jar with ½ cup water and add it to the pan.
- Add salt and mix well to combine everything.
- Cook over medium flame till it begins to froth on top.
- Switch off the stove and transfer to a serving bowl.
For tempering:
- Heat a tempering ladle with coconut oil.
- When warm, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
- Add dry red chillies and roast for 5 to 10 secs.
- Pour this tempering over the keerai molagootal and mix well.
- Serve hot with rice.
Dido
Hi Radhika: Thank you for your recipe. I have 2 questions: (1) what are the differences between Keerai Kootu and Molagootal, also Keerai Masiyal? (2) How does the keerai chatti vary from other types, such as man chatti, kal chatti and others -- clay and cast iron, perhaps? Thanks, Dido.
Radhika
Hi, in my home, keerai kootu is made with ground paste of coconut & spices & always made with moong dal unlike molagootal. Masiyal is spinach cooked along with dal, has no ground paste but has onion, tomato etc & mashed well once cooked. Keera chatti is clay pot but has small marbles pressed at the bottom or has rough indents made at the bottom and along the sides that ensures the coarse texture when you mash the contents.