Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Recipe: Keera Molagootal



Molagootal is a unique dish of Kerala Iyers. Everybody likes it including non-Iyers who try it. I've found that every non-Iyer who joins our family (by way of marriage) takes an instant liking to it. It is the most satvik food and at the same time delicious also. The taste is a blend of all the vegetables, and lentils, and fresh coconut. It is not very spicy nor oily, which makes it suitable food for young, old, and the invalid. Molagootal can be made with mixed vegetables (raw banana, pumpkin, winter melon, chena, koorka, payar), spinach (keerai), banana stem, cabbage. One of my videshi bahus swore by broccoli molagootal.

Keerai (spinach) is rich in iron, vitamin A, B, and C is a very wholesome vegetable.
It can be made with Are keerai (amaranthis), dhondu keerai, molai keerai (found mostly in TN), parippu keerai (available in Karnataka), spinach keerai (palak), shiru keerai (good diuretic). Of these traditionally we used Are keerai in Kerala, it used to be grown in our backyard.

Keerai (spinach/greens/palak): 300g
Toor dal: ¾ cup
grated coconut: ½ cup
mustard: 1 tsp
urad dal: 2 tsp
red chilli: 1
jeera: ½ tsp
turmeric powder: 1tsp
salt: to taste
Oil: 1tbsp

Wash and drain the greens, and cook. Cool. And grind to a paste. Pressure cook the toor dal with turmeric powder. Heat 1 tsp of the oil, add 1 tsp urad dal and 1 red chilli broken into bits, fry till the dal is pink in color. Remove. Grind coconut with fried dal and chilli and the jeera to a smooth paste. Boil the spinach puree with salt. Add the cooked toor dal and boil for 5 minutes. Add the ground coconut paste and add enough water to get pouring consistency. Boil. Remove from the stove. Heat the remaining oil, add the mustard seeds when they splutter, add the remaining urad dal, when the dal turns pink, pour into the keerai molagootal.

Can be eaten with rice, chapatti, dosa, pooris etc.
Accompaniments: Thogayal, Thair pachadi, Pachadi, Pulikachal.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

It would be really great if u publish the recipe of podipodichapulingari also... :)

Ammupatti said...

Hi Meenu. I had already posted this a long time ago:
http://bhagavathy.blogspot.com/2006/02/recipe-podipodicha-pulinkari.html

-ammupatti

Anonymous said...

Hi...Thank you for your blog!
Your blog is amazing. Love the recipes and stories! I have made this molagootal for Vishu Sadhya this year, along with few other tasty treats. I am posting my adaptation of this dish on my blog on April 21, 2007. My blog is http://www.alaivani.com
I am so eager to make your version of sakkraipongal next year and also the pulinkari which to me seems very much like Tamil Kozhumbu- very tasty, mouth watering!

Paru said...

Hello Mami,

Whenever my mom used to make this molagootal she used to serve this with Kadu manga and it just tastes so good. I am reminded of those good old days.

These days if I don't find Kadu mangai I serve the same keerai to my kids with vengayam and the taste is equally good.

Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Regards,
Parvathi

Anonymous said...

Hi Ammupatti,

I tried u'r keera molakoottal couple of times and i must say it's just awesome.So officially decided to have it once a week. So i have been looking for the masiyal recipe in u'r site ...am very delighted when i saw it today ...telepathy huh?

Leks

Ammupatti said...

Hi Leks

I hope you liked the keerai masiyal also.

Regards

Anonymous said...

Hi ammuppatti,

Namaskaram

I am a newly married girl and I am settled in USA. Ur Blog is my one stop shop for all authentic Palakkad iyer recipes. Thanks a lot.

Could you please get me the recipes of parippu thogaiyal and the other thogaiyal which is a side dish for molagoottal?

Thanks in advance.

Love,
Pavithra Vijay

Ammupatti said...

Hi Pavithra

I am glad you like my blog. While I try my level best to keep posting the recipes requested by my readers, sometimes it takes much longer than expected due to my other preoccupations. I shall certainly post recipes for thogayal.

Best wishes

Unknown said...

Namaskaram Ammuppatti,
I am a student in the US. I tried out this recipe and it came out perfect, just the way my mom used to make it! Reminded me of home. Thanks a lot, and please keep posting recipes.

Ammupatti said...

Hi Vishy

I am glad your molagottal turned out just like mom makes it. Aren't we all addicted to that special mom's cooking. I too long for my mom's cooking. And my children, their
mom's.

You have a wonderful blog too!

All the best.

venkat iyer said...

Heoo AmmuPatti' I wish you include kattirica mezhukkuvaratti, parikkai pitla and duthi thoran in your blog. I cannot wait!! Please hurry. Venkat Iyer, Basildon, UK

venkat iyer said...

Hi AmmuPatti. Please hurry up with your recipes on kattiricai mezhukkuvaratti, parikkai pitla and duthi thoran. I cannot wait. thanks.
Venkat iyer from basildon. UK
Your entries are just the thing a tamil pattar is waiting for.

Ammupatti said...

Hi Venkat Iyer

Relax. You may have to wait for a little more for the recipes, for I want to finsih with the wedding posts before I start on recipes again.

Take care.

Anonymous said...

Hello Ammupatti,
I really liked reading your recipes. Some of them i tried too. Tasted very nice. Thanks.

Ammupatti said...

Hi anonymous

Thanks for trying my recipes.

Regards

G.venkatesh said...

Hi Ammupatti,
Thanks for this recpie. Just how Amma used to do :) Typical palakkad iyer style. This is my first time at this. Came out very well. Keep'em coming.

Venky, Chicago.

Anonymous said...

Hi Amma,

Thanks for your wonderful blog. I just found when I was ggogling. You are down to earth person and now a days I cannot start a day with out reading your blog. Pls do keep this blog and thank you from the botton of my heart.
Litha

Ammupatti said...

Thank you litha and Venkitesh



Best wishes