Keerai Masiyal | கீரை மசியல்

Keerai Masiyal | கீரை மசியல் is one of the easiest and healthiest main dish usually served with rice for lunch time. Its a very comforting masiyal suitable for toddlers and kids. Feed them with rice and dollop of ghee. Its very mild and less spice compare to other main course like sambar, kulambu but more or less similar like Kootu recipe. Any type of keerai can be used to try this masiyal. To make a complete meal serve with rice, kara kulambu, thengai thogayal and appalam.

Preparation Time : 15 minutes | Cooking Time :30 minutes
Yield : Serves 2

Ingredients:

Pasi Paruppu / Split Moong Daal /Yellow Lentil - 1/4 cup
Keerai (chiru keerai/ arai keerai/ pasalai keerai)- 1 bunch

Onion - 1 medium

Tomato - 1 large

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Garlic - 4 cloves

Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil - 1tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli - 3nos.
Green Chilli - 1(optional)

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Rinse the daal / paruppu in the tap water. Pressure cook the daal with 1 cup of water, turmeric, a spoon of gingelly oil for 2 sounds. Release the pressure and mash the daal. Keep aside.

Wash the keerai / greens in the running tap water for 2-3 times minimum. Drain in the colanter and keep aside for some time to drain any extra water.

Now chop the onion, garlic and tomato. Roughly chop the keerai.

Heat oil in a kadai, prepare seasoning - first add mustard, when it pops add cumin and red chillies(break into small pieces,discard seeds), asafoetida.
Now add chopped garlic and onion. Fry them until onion turns pink. Add in the chopped keerai and saute well. Keep stirring until they wilt.

Add the chopped tomato and saute until soft cooked. Now add the cooked and mashed daal to it. Mix well.

Add around 1 cup of water and required salt to it and bring to boil. Simmer and cook for further 5-8 minutes until the masiyal thickens. Generally this kind of keerai masiyal takes only less salt.

Serve the keerail masiyal with hot steamed rice. Also goes well with roti/phulka.

Note:

Any type of greens/keerai can be used to make this mayisal.
Substitute green chillies for red chilli for a change. And infact seasoning chilli(red/green) gives different taste and flavour to the mayisal. Try both style.
Garlic is well-known for its medicinal properties, when used for cooking gives extra-ordinary flavours. Don't skip it.
Toor daal / red lentil can be substituted for yellow lentil, both have different taste still delicious.
If you want to reduce the cooking time, pressure cook all the ingredients except seasoning. Blend using processor and prepare seasoning. It's quick and fast.