Whole Food Plant Based Thandu Keerai Kootu Recipe from Tamil Nadu

'Thandu Keerai Kootu' is a soupy protein packed amaranthus dish. This well-spiced thandu keerai kootu is a staple in some parts of South India. This nutritional dish is a great accompaniment for tangy rasam rice. Our recipe makes some simple changes to make this a delicious healing Whole Plant dish.

Try this wholesome dish and let us know how you like it.

Course: Course 2: Vegetable Dish / Side dish for Lunch & Dinner Meals
Cuisine: Tamil Recipe from South India
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 people

INGREDIENTS

1. 1/4 cup Moong Dal / Green Gram Dal / Paasi Paruppu / Paithamparuppu / Hesaru Bele
2. 2 cups or 1 bunch Amaranthus leaves & stems

Kootu Masala

1. 1/4 cup Coconut Grated
2. 1 tsp Urad Dal / Black Gram Dal / Ulutham Paruppu / Uddina Bele
3. 1 tsp Pepper Powder
4. 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
5. 2 tsp Miso Paste (Healthy Salt Replacement. See Nutrition Science Highlights below)
6. 1 Lemon
7. 10 Curry Leaves (plus few for garnishing)
8. 1 tsp Mustard Seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Kootu Masala

1. Dry roast urad dal until light brown. Do not allow to darken or burn. Remove from stove and keep aside.
2. Dry roast mustard until it begins sputtering. As soon as it starts sputtering, switch off stove and transfer to a cup.
3. Grind all masala ingredients (except mustard seeds and lemon) into a paste, then squeeze in lemon and mix mustard seeds into it.

How to make Thandu Keerai Kootu

1. Preferably, soak moong dal overnight or at least for 4-5 hours. Take soaked moong dal in vessel, add enough water to cover the dal and start cooking with a partially closed lid.
2. Cut off roots and chop thandu keerai / amaranthus into small pieces. Add to the moong dal after about ten minutes of cooking. Stir from time to time and add water if required. The final consistency should be a thick, pourable liquid. While this is cooking, you can prepare the kootu masala as outlined above.
3. Once dal and greens are fully cooked, switch off stove and mix in masala. Garnish with few curry leaves. Serve fresh!

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Thandu Keerai Kootu Recipe

1. Why miso paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. Maximum recommended salt intake is 3 grams per day per person. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later.
2. Why not tadka? Tadka, thaaLippu, oggaraNe. Tempering spices in oil is quintessential to Indian cuisine. This practice may have started as a compromise when whole nuts were unavailable, and indeed, is more common in inland, drier areas where nuts do not grow easily, all year round. You can enjoy the taste and fragrance, though, by just dry roasting the spices you require, without the oil, or even better, mixing spice powders directly into your dish!