agathi keerai poriyal | agathi keerai benefits

agathi keerai is vegetable hummingbird tree leaves in English and Sesbania grandiflora is the botanical name. Agathi keerai poriyal recipe with stepwise pics follows after the below benefits and cautions about agathi.

“Agathi” in tamil means Agam+Thee => Inside+Fire. It actually means that agathi keerai will cool the fire inside the body and mind. Yes, it is good for both physical and psychological problems.

Benefits:

• Agathi keerai is good for constipation problems. It is a natural stool softener that breaks down hard and stoned stools.
• Agathi keerai is good for brain functioning and increases memory power.
• Agathi keerai heals wound in tongue, mouth and intestines.
• Agathi keerai cools and cleanses the body.
• Agathi keerai is good for dads-to-be and lactating moms(give after 1 month post-delivery to increase milk secretion , to cleanse the body and for stress control).

 Caution:

• Do not eat agathi keerai often. Take it twice in a month or once in alternate weeks for healthy body and peaceful mind. Only persons with constipation problems or with more body heat(Pitham) can take it weekly once, until cured.
• Do not take agathi keerai if you are taking ANY medicines as agathi will react with the medicines and either decrease the intensity of medicine or will change the nature of it. Applies to alcohol as well.

Please check out my collection of keerai/greens recipes. Click here.

agathi keerai poriyal recipe – Stepwise pics follow the below printable description:

agathi keerai poriyal | agathi keerai benefits

 

Save Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Base ingredient:

• Agathi keerai kattu/bunch - 1

To temper:

• Sesame/Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds/Kadugu - ¼ tsp
• Urad dal/Ulutham parupu - ½ tsp
• Small onions - 15 to 20

For flavor:

• Dry red chillies - 1 or 2
• Crushed garlic cloves - 3
• Grated coconut - ½ cup to 1 cup

Other ingredients:

• Water - ¼ cup
• Salt - 1 tsp or as required

Instructions

1. From a bunch of agathi keerai kattu, pluck each stem and hold the leaf at the tip. From top towards downwards, strip the leaves. Finally pluck out the top leaf as well. You shall try in opposite direction too.
2. Throw away the stems and save the leaves. Wash the leaves in a big bowl of water. Rub the leaves with fingers to rinse away the dirt. Then transfer the leaves from water washed vessel to another vessel filled with water. Repeat this twice or thrice until the washed water has no visible dirt/sand.
3. Take out the leaves from water and keep aside. Peel and chop 15+ small onions.
4. Add a tbsp of sesame oil(nallennai) or coconut oil to a dry pan. Once hot, add ¼ tsp mustard seeds/kadugu. Once spluttered, add ½ tsp urad dal/ulutham parupu. Once slightly browned, add 1 or 2 dry red chillies, 3 crushed garlic cloves(not shown in pic), chopped small onions.
5. Once onions slightly change color, add in agathi keerai leaves. Saute till the leaves wilt/shrink.
6. Once the leaves shrink, sprinkle some water(upto ¼ cup) and add 1 tsp(or as required) salt.
7. Either cook open or cover with a lid with a hole(as in my pic) or just half-cover it. Cook in low-medium flame. Intermittently open and stir. Once cooked , open and saute for a minute or so until it becomes dry.
8. Add half cup to 1 cup of grated coconut to compensate the bitterness in the greens. Stir for 10 seconds and switch off.

Notes

1.Do not chop agathi keerai as it might turn so bitter.
2.Small onions can be replaced with big ones but small onion tastes best.
3.Do not skip coconut as it lessens the bitterness of the greens, while eating.
4.Optionally, you can add rightly-cooked(not mushy) moong dal/paasi paruppu, once keerai is cooked(in step 7).

3.5.3251

Preparation – How to make agathi keerai poriyal ?

1.From a bunch of agathi keerai kattu, pluck each stem and hold the leaf at the tip. From top towards downwards, strip the leaves. Finally pluck out the top leaf as well. You shall try in opposite direction too.

2.Throw away the stems and save the leaves. Wash the leaves in a big bowl of water. Rub the leaves with fingers to rinse away the dirt. Then transfer the leaves from water washed vessel to another vessel filled with water. Repeat this twice or thrice until the washed water has no visible dirt/sand.

3.Take out the leaves from water and keep aside. Peel and chop 15+ small onions.

4.Add a tbsp of sesame oil(nallennai) or coconut oil to a dry pan. Once hot, add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds/kadugu. Once spluttered, add 1/2 tsp urad dal/ulutham parupu. Once slightly browned, add 1 or 2 dry red chillies, 3 crushed garlic cloves(not shown in pic), chopped small onions.

5.Once onions slightly change color, add in agathi keerai leaves. Saute till the leaves wilt/shrink.

6.Once the leaves shrink, sprinkle some water(upto 1/4 cup) and add 1 tsp(or as required) salt.

7.Either cook open or cover with a lid with a hole(as in my pic) or just half-cover it. Cook in low-medium flame. Intermittently open and stir. Once cooked , open and saute for a minute or so until it becomes dry.

8.Add half cup to 1 cup of grated coconut to compensate the bitterness in the greens. Stir for 10 seconds and switch off.

Agathi keerai poriyal is ready. Serve with sambar rice, rasam rice, curd rice or vathakuzhambu..

Tips/Tricks in making agathi keerai poriyal:

• Do not chop agathi keerai as it might turn so bitter.
• Small onions can be replaced with big ones but small onion tastes best.
• Do not skip coconut as it lessens the bitterness of the greens, while eating.
• Optionally, you can add rightly-cooked(not mushy) moong dal/paasi paruppu, once keerai is cooked(in step 7).