AGATHI KEERAI PORIYAL

Usually this poriyal is prepared on Dwadesi day ( next day to vaikunta ekadesi) as a special food for people who did fasting on vaikunta ekadesi as it helps to reduce the body heat & acidity levels.. Before my marriage , my paati used to make this poriyal along with gooseberry pickle or gooseberry pachadi & avial for dwadesi . I love that feast ..Yesterday i got the recipe from my mom and tried this poriyal. It was very nice and we loved it a lot.. We all know agathi keerai takes more time to cook. As my mom suggested , i pressure cooked the keerai after sauting and it was perfectly cooked...Usually toor dal is used in this poriyal but i used moong dal as it gives a nice smell..Also i used onions which is not added on this day. So please skip onion if u make for dwadesi..Otherwise, add small onions which gives a nice taste and flavour to this poriyal.

INGREDIENTS
 1 cup - 250ml

Agathi keerai – 1 bunch ( 1 cup ) Big onion / small onions – 1/2 cup ( finely chopped) Moong dal – 1tbsp Grated coconut – 1/4 cup Sugar – A pinch Salt & water – as needed To temper Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Channa dal – 1 tsp Red chillies – 2-3 nos Lime juice – few drops (optional)

METHOD

Remove the leaves from the stem , wash it & set aside. In a kadai, temper mustard seeds , urad dal & channa dal. When the dal turns golden brown add red chillies and saute for a second. Then add onions and saute till it turns transparent.. Now add the washed leaves ( keerai) , a pinch of sugar & the required salt. Saute well till the keerai shrinks.. After few minutes , add a tbsp of moong dal and saute well for a minute.Now add enough water (say 1/2 cup) and transfer the entire contents into a small box with lid and pressure cook it in high flame for 1 or 2 whistles. I dint pressure cook it directly .Remove the lid and check if there is any water..If there is any water , allow it to drain by boiling it for sometime. Otherwise, add the grated coconut , mix well and saute for few seconds..Check for salt. U can add few drops of lime juice at the end to get a tangy taste.. Serve with sambar sadam !!

NOTE

I have used more onions and dal to enhance the flavour and taste. This keerai has a mild bitter taste. Adding more coconut helps to overcome that bitterness.. We are adding sugar while sauting the leaves to avoid discoloration.. If u dont want to pressure cook the leaves , u can add water directly in the kadai and cover cook it. But it takes longer time to cook . U can also pressure cook the leaves first and then do the tempering and sautéing procedures.It tastes good in both the ways.

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