Keerai Molagootal Recipe | kale Molagootal

Molagootal is a traditional dish of Palakkad(Kerala) people and I learnt it from my neighbor in Coimbatore, whose native is Palakkad. She mainly makes it with keerai/greens and some days with mixed veggies too. You shall use any greens like araikeerai, paruppu keerai, mulai keerai, thandu keerai, palak keerai or any other keerai that goes well with dal.

If you live abroad, then do add kale and spinach in your diet, every week, as eating local fresh foods are advantageous than imported foods. Do try my Kale vadai(link), Kale stir fry(link), Spinach mash(link). I recommend using baby kale/baby spinach in this recipe, as well. I have just opted for fully grown kale for an appealing pic, to be honest, else I personally go with baby greens as they are much tender and delicious. If you live in India, do not get imported or powdered super-foods. Rather opt for our Moringa leaves/Murungai keerai(click here for recipe) which is the best super-food !!

Keerai Molagootal Recipe – Stepwise pics follow the below printable description:

Keerai Molagootal Recipe | kale Molagootal

 

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Serves: 3

Ingredients

To cook greens

• Kale - 100 g or 5 stems
• Water - 1 cup

To Pressure cook

• Toor dal/Thuvaramparuppu - ⅓ cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• Asafoetida - a generous pinch

To fry

• Coconut oil - ½ tsp
• Dry Red chilli - 2 or more as per your spice level
• Urad dal - 1 + ½ tsp

To grind

• Above fried items
• Grated coconut - ¼ cup
• Cumin seeds/Jeeragam - ½ tsp
• Water - ¼ cup

To Temper

• Coconut oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds/kadugu - ¼ tsp
• Urad dal - ½ tsp

Instructions

1. Take ⅓ cup Toor dal & soak it in water. After 20 mins, wash it thrice and add it to a pressure cooker.
2. Add 1 cup water, ¼ tsp turmeric powder and a generous pinch of asafoetida.
3. In medium-high flame, Pressure cook for 5 whistles or until cooked soft. Mash it well with dal/potato masher.
4. In ½ tsp coconut oil, fry 1.5 tsp urad dal(Prefer using whole urad dal, if you have) & 2(or more) dry red chillies.
5. Take out once dal turns golden brown(do not darken as it will turn bitter). In a small mixie jar, add ¼ cup grated coconut, the fried urad dal & red chillies.
6. Add ½ tsp jeera/cumin seeds and grind. Add ¼ cup water and grind to a paste(neither too smooth nor too coarse) without any bits & pieces.
7. Take 100g or 5 stems of Kale and soak it in water, turmeric powder, rock salt(I didn't have) and lemon juice for 5 mins.
8. Wash the greens well until the washed water is clear. Pinch out the lower standalone portions of the leaves. Then tear out the leaves from the central stalk.
9. Discard the central stalk and save the leaves. Repeat this for all leaves and chop the leaves as fine as possible. If you get baby kale, the job is very easy - just wash the leaves and chop them.
10. Add chopped leaves to a hot pan and fry them for a minute until the leaves wilt/shrink. Then add 1 cup water and cook open in medium flame. If you are using baby kale, just use ¼ cup water.
11. Once Kale is cooked(took 10 mins for me. Baby kale takes just 5 mins), add cooked dal to it.
12. Rinse the cooker with ½ cup water and add along with required salt.
13. Mix well and once it starts to boil, add the ground coconut paste.
14. Rinse mixie jar using ¼ cup to ½ cup water(as required) and add. Mix well.
15. Let it boil in medium flame for 3 to 5 mins. Then, switch off the stove & move it aside. In a tadka pan, add a tsp of coconut oil. Once hot, add ¼ tsp mustard seeds. Once spluttered, add ½ tsp urad dal.
16. Once urad dal slightly changes color, add it to kale molagootal and mix well. Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Notes

1.Adjust water while adding dal and coconut pate, as per the consistency required. Molagootal should neither be runny nor be too thick.
2.If you like spicy curry, add more red chillies while frying. You can also add broken dry red chillies while tempering.
3.You shall use baby kale or baby spinach in this recipe.
4.Do not add salt before the greens are cooked as it will give a bitter taste.
5.Do not replace Toor dal with Moongdal as Toordal tastes best in Molagootal.
6.Frying urad dal rightly is very important. It should be fried well to bring out the nutty flavor but at the same time, you should not darken it more, as it might turn bitter. Take it out when it turns golden brown and smells nutty.

3.5.3251

Preparation – How to make Keerai Molagootal ?

1.Take 1/3 cup Toor dal & soak it in water. After 20 mins, wash it thrice and add it to a pressure cooker.

2.Add 1 cup water, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and a generous pinch of asafoetida.

3.In medium-high flame, Pressure cook for 5 whistles or until cooked soft. Mash it well with dal/potato masher.

4.In 1/2 tsp coconut oil, fry 1.5 tsp urad dal(Prefer using whole urad dal if you have) & 2(or more) dry red chillies. Please read the notes in Tips section below.

5.Take out once dal turns golden brown(do not darken as it will turn bitter). In a small mixie jar, add 1/4 cup grated coconut, the fried urad dal & red chillies.

6.Add 1/2 tsp jeera/cumin seeds and grind. Add 1/4 cup water and grind to a paste(neither too smooth nor too coarse) without any bits & pieces.

7.Take 100g or 5 stems of Kale and soak it in water, turmeric powder, rock salt(I didn’t have) and lemon juice for 5 mins.

8.Wash the greens well until the washed water is clear. Pinch out the lower standalone portions of the leaves. Then tear out the leaves from the central stalk.

9.Discard the central stalk and save the leaves. Repeat this for all leaves and chop the leaves as fine as possible. If you get baby kale, the job is very easy – just wash the leaves and chop them.

10.Add chopped leaves to a hot pan and fry them for a minute until the leaves wilt/shrink. Then add 1 cup water and cook open in medium flame. If you are using baby kale, just use 1/4 cup water.

11.Once Kale is cooked(took 10 mins for me. Baby kale takes just 5 mins), add cooked dal to it.

12.Rinse the cooker with 1/2 cup water and add along with required salt.

13.Mix well and once it starts to boil, add the ground coconut paste.

14.Rinse mixie jar using 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup water(as required) and add. Mix well.

15.Let it boil in medium flame for 3 to 5 mins. Then, switch off the stove & move it aside. In a tadka pan, add a tsp of coconut oil. Once hot, add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds. Once spluttered, add 1/2 tsp urad dal.

16.Once urad dal slightly changes color, add it to kale molagootal and mix well.

Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Tips/Tricks in making Keerai Molagootal:

• Adjust water while adding dal and coconut pate, as per the consistency required. Molagootal should neither be runny nor be too thick.
• If you like spicy curry, add more red chillies while frying. You can also add broken dry red chillies while tempering.
• You shall use baby kale or baby spinach in this recipe.
• Do not add salt before the greens are cooked as it will give a bitter taste.
• Do not replace Toor dal with Moongdal as Toordal tastes best in Molagootal.
• Frying urad dal rightly is very important. It should be fried well to bring out the nutty flavor but at the same time, you should not darken it more, as it might turn bitter. Take it out when it turns golden brown and smells nutty.
• If you want to make it in a traditional way, skip dry red chillies and substitute 1 tsp or more black peppercorns/Molagu to fry along with urad dal to make authentic Molagootal.