Puli itta keerai recipe | Spinach in Tamarind gravy

Puli itta keerai | spinach cooked in tamarind gravy, this is a traditional recipe made at our home, but my mil makes a different version. She makes like a keerai sambar but we generally call it as keerai puli itta kootu. Last year i attended a cookery class of Shri. Mount Mani Iyer, a popular caterer in Chennai. He taught as few Tirunelveli brahmin style recipes and one among them is this keerai puli itta kootu. I was planning to post this recipe from a long time, but some how couldn't make it. Few weeks back, when i was searching for the paper in which i have noted the recipe, i couldn't trace that. I misplaced it somewhere. I asked a friend who attended the class with me and she immediately sent the picture of the recipe paper. I tried it today and it tasted so similar to the one Shri. Mani Iyer made. We tasted the puli itta keerai with kal dosai in the cookery demo, but today i served with plain rice. It went well with rice too.

Puli itta keerai recipe

  Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 Mins |Serves: 2-3

     Spinach | Keerai  2 cups (chopped)
     Tamarind  a small gooseberry sized
     Sesame oil  2 tsp
     Mustard seeds  1/4 tsp
     Urad dal   1 tsp
     Channa dal  1 tsp
     Red chili 3-4
     Asafoetida  2 pinches
     Salt as needed
     Jaggery   1 tsp
     Sugar  1/4 tsp 

Method:

• In a pan cook the spinach by adding little salt and the sugar. Adding sugar retains the colour if the spinach even after it is cooked.
• Cook the spinach by adding 3/4 cup of water. 
• You can pressure cook for 1-2 whistles too. 
• Allow this to cool and grind into a smooth paste.
• Extract the tamarind juice by adding 1 cup of water.
• In a pan add sesame oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, asafoetida and red chili.
• When the dal turns brown, add the tamarind water.
• Add salt and jaggery powder.
• Let this boil for 2 minutes. 
• Add the spinach puree to this.
• Mix well and if needed add little water to get the right consistency.
• Boil this for 10 minutes.
• Switch off the flame.
• Puli itta keerai is ready to serve.

     

Method:

• In a pan cook the spinach by adding little salt and the sugar. Adding sugar retains the colour if the spinach even after it is cooked.
• Cook the spinach by adding 3/4 cup of water. 

• You can pressure cook for 1-2 whistles too. 
• Allow this to cool and grind into a smooth paste.

• Extract the tamarind juice by adding 1 cup of water.
• In a pan add sesame oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, asafoetida and red chili.
• When the dal turns brown, add the tamarind water.
• Add salt and jaggery powder.

• Let this boil for 2 minutes. 
• Add the spinach puree to this.
• Mix well and if needed add little water to get the right consistency.

• Boil this for 10 minutes.
• Switch off the flame.
• Puli itta keerai is ready to serve.

Notes:

1. Do not add more tamarind water, also extract thin water from the tamarind.
2. Adding sugar to the keerai while cooking retains the green colour of the spinach.
3. You can use arai keerai or mullai keerai. I used the round spinach available in the local Fairprice shops.