Keerai sambar recipe with full detailed video, stepwise pictures for easy learning. Keerai (in tamil) means spinach variety we get in South India.
This is one of our family favorite. Both at mom's place and in-law's place. Initially I never got a hold on keerai sambar and got it very runny, then later by experience realized that keerai will leave water and have to be careful while adding water. And usually add more dal, sambar powder to make it thicker and spicier otherwise it will be bland.
Click here for cup measurements
Green chilli can be replaced with one red chilli while tempering
Small onions can be replaced with one large onion
Keerai sambar recipe
Keerai sambar recipe with detailed full video, stepwise pictures for easy learning. Keerai (Tamil) means a spinach variety we get in South india.
Servings 4
Cup measurements
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Keerai / amaranth leaves
- ½ cup Toor dal
- 1.5 teaspoon Sambar powder
- 1 small gooseberry sized Tamarind 1 teaspoon packed
- 1 Onion
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- Salt
TEMPER:
- 2 teaspoon Oil
- 1 Red chilli
- ⅛ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafetida
- ½ teaspoon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
Instructions
- Peel off small onion skin and slit green chilies.
- Pressure cook toor dal with 1 & ½ cup water for 4-5 whistles or until done. Mash well and keep aside.
- Extract tamarind juice by soaking in warm water for 30 mins.
- I usually extract tamarind juice easily by keeping inside a small bowl along with dal and pressure cooking. This way, we can get the juice efficiently with less effort and water.
- Clean the keerai by washing it well 2-3 times and chop it. Do not chop too fine.
- Heat a kadai with oil and add the items under To Temper table in order.
- Then add onions and green chillies and fry till onions turn golden brown here and there.
- Add to the tamarind extract, with salt,turmeric and sambar powder and bring to boil.
- Once it starts boiling, add the chopped keerai.
- Stir well so that the keerai so gets immersed.
- Boil till keerai gets cooked, check the stem for doneness by pressing between two fingers.
- Lastly add cooked toor dal and mix well.Boil for 2 minutes and now keerai sambar is ready!
Video
Notes
- We can use any variety of keerai like arai keerai, mulai keerai or siru keerai.
- I have used the stem too, you can use leaves alone.
- Water should be added carefully-very less, since this sambar should be bit thicker in consistency than our usual sambars. Keerai by itself leaves out water and cannot take more water.
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Keerai sambar method:
-
- Peel off onion skin and slit green chilies. I have updated the recipe with video where I have used red chillies while tempering instead of green chilli.
- Pressure cook toor dal with 1 & ½ cup water for 4-5 whistles or until done. Mash well and keep aside.
- Extract tamarind juice by soaking in warm water for 30 mins. I usually extract tamarind juice easily by keeping inside a small bowl along with dal and pressure cooking. This way, we can get the juice efficiently with less effort and water.
- Clean the keerai by washing it well 2-3 times and chop it. Do not chop too fine.
- Heat a kadai with oil and add the items under To Temper table in order.Then add onions and green chillies and fry till onions turn golden brown here and there.
- Add to the tamarind extract, with salt,turmeric and sambar powder and bring to boil.
- Once it starts boiling, add the chopped keerai.
- Stir well so that the keerai so gets immersed.
- Boil till keerai gets cooked, check the stem for doneness by pressing between two fingers.
- Lastly add cooked toor dal and mix well.
- Boil for 2 minutes and now keerai sambar is ready!
NOTE
- We can use any variety of keerai like arai keerai, mulai keerai or siru keerai.
- I have used the stem too, you can use leaves alone.
- Water should be added carefully-very less, since this sambar should be bit thicker in consistency than our usual sambars. Keerai by itself leaves out water and cannot take more water.
Serve with cooked rice and ghee on top of it..
Sireesha
Keerai sambar looks awesome ...
Happy cook
Delicious, just give ma a whole plate of plain rice with it.
LG
even we make it Raks. I always love it. That plate looks delicious.
Daily Meals
Looks yummy...
Uma
what a yummy sambhar! love to have it with rice and some curd chilies. BTW, does keerai mean spinach?
n33ma
Its looks nice.especially with that hot rice.
Jaishree
Keerai sambar looks yummy...
RAKS KITCHEN
,Yes Uma,Keerai mean Indian spinach!
Laavanya
Ive not heard of keerai sambhar before.. nutritious and yummy.
raaji
what is keerai raji....i dont have a clue what it is......
RAKS KITCHEN
Keerai is Indian spinach! 🙂
Suganya Devi
Keerai sambar looks good
Vijay Raghavan
spinach is murunga keerai
jong belegen kaas
love ur recipe.Learn alot from you, wishing i know tamil or hindi words for certain ingredients.( I am chinese wife married to an indian boy),really want to learn how to cook indian food from simple and illustrative recipes from yours.Thanks for sharing. http://hellosweetdessert.wordpress.com/
Unknown
Spinach is siru keerai, amaranth. Murungai keerai is drumstick leaves
Dhivya Anand
Hi..I made this sambar yesterday and all my family members loved it...Usually we make dhaal palak with dhaal and palak combo but the tamarind and sambar powder and sequence of steps made this sambar so favorable... Thanks Raji...
Sharmila Sharma
Tomorrow I will try this recipe....... Looks yummy
anbarasan wildfire
Thanks good help for me...
Misba Ashiq
Can I use Chana daal instead of toor daal
Misba Ashiq
Can I use Chana daal instead of toor daal
Raks anand
It will change the taste. It will be seen and not blended. If you like that texture, you can try. But its called kootu
akshaya
may i know why u never added tomato for sambar??????
Raks anand
You can add if you want - sautee after onion and proceed
Nandy
Raks, this recipe is superb. Made this sambar with mulai keerai and it turned out yummy
Raks anand
Thank you 🙂
Karthik Natarajan
Nice recipe loved it
Unknown
Very nice