Keerai Kootu (Spinach Kootu)
Updated: January 28, 2025, By Swasthi
This Keerai Kootu is easy to make, flavor-packed, delicious and nutritious. The Tamil word “Keerai” translates to leafy greens and “Kootu” is a kind of lentil and vegetable dish, usually cooked with coconut and minimal amount of spices. It is vegetarian, gluten-free and can be made vegan if you cook in oil. While this dish can be made with any kind of greens, we are making it here with baby spinach.
If you love exploring new ways to cook with lentils or leafy greens, this recipe is just for you. This is one of the most basic vegetarian dishes from the Tamil cuisine and is a staple. It is usually eaten with steamed rice. But you can eat it with cooked millets, quinoa, flatbreads like roti, chapati or with dosas. It can also be consumed on its own like a soup.
About Keerai Kootu
A Kootu is always cooked with split and skinned lentils. A vegetable of choice like bottle gourd, chayote squash, pumpkin, snake gourd, cabbage or mixed vegetables are used. Since this a keerai recipe, we are using leafy greens but making it the same way as a traditional kootu. A small amount of coconut is the game changer and it adds so much flavor and texture to the finished dish.
Table of contents
Keerai Kootu is cooked in numerous ways and comes in different colors – dark green, light green, brown, yellow etc. It all depends on the amount and kind of greens used. If you use more mature greens and overcook, it turns out dark green. Using more chili powder produces a reddish/brown dish. You can easily play around with the quantities to your liking.
I have an expert tips section below to make this dish without a pressure cooker, or to cook in the Instant pot, variations and other inspirations.
Ingredients & substitutes
- Keerai / leafy greens: In this version, I am using baby spinach but feel free to use any leafy greens of choice. Amaranth, palak (Indian spinach), fenugreek leaves (methi), kale, moringa leaves, gongura , pea shoots, dill leaves, radish greens and any kind of spinach goes well in this recipe.
- Lentils: Traditionally moong dal (yellow skinned split lentils) is used. Some people also use a mix of moong and toor dal (split pigeon peas). This is my favorite choice too. But you may use red lentils if that’s what you have. Though they are not traditionally used in a kootu, I have made it on occasions and turns out good.
- Spices: You will need only mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilies, green chilies and garlic. My version of kootu also requires basic ground spices like red chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. If you want stronger flavors you may use sambar powder, kulambu thool or Curry powder. However I prefer adding them individually for milder flavor.
- Coconut: Traditionally fresh grated raw coconut is used. You can use frozen coconut that’s been thawed. If you are not accessible to fresh or frozen, you may use unsweetened shredded coconut, soaked in hot water until soft. Thick canned coconut milk also works.
Photo Guide
How to make Keerai Kootu (Stepwise Photos)
1. Add ⅓ cup moong dal to a bowl. If you like more dal in your kootu, you may also use ¼ cup toor dal & ¼ cup moong dal.
2. Rinse it well a few times and drain the water. Pour ¾ cup water. If using more dal use 1 cup. Cover, place in the cooker and cook until soft and mushy for 3 whistles or in the instant pot for 11 minutes. You can also cook your short grain white rice (like sona masuri or ponni) in another bowl, along with the dal.
3. While the dal cooks,
- Wash and chop 4 to 5 cups of spinach (about 120 grams leaves).
- Also chop 1 small onion or 7 to 8 shallots to make half cup.
- Deseed and chop 1 medium tomato to make half cup.
- You will also chop 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves and 1 green chili (you may omit for no heat)
4. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee or oil on a medium heat. Add ¼ teaspoon mustard, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 dried broken red chili. mustard seeds
5. When the seeds begin to splutter, add the garlic, 1 sprig curry leaves and green chilies and a pinch of hing/ asafetida (optional). If you want you may add the whole sprig of curry leaves as it is , this way you can easily discard it before serving.
6. Saute for a minute and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Saute for 4 to 5 mins until the onions turn light golden or transparent.
7. Add tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes break down, for 4 to 5 mins.
8. Add the ground spices. You can either add sambar powder or curry powder or use the below spices
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon coriander powder
- ⅓ teaspoon cumin powder
9. Saute for a minute.
10. Add the chopped keerai/leafy greens.
11. Saute until wilted for 4 to 5 mins. If you are using more mature greens, cook them down until soft for a little longer. They won’t actually cook much after adding the dal.
12. Meanwhile, add ¼ cup raw grated coconut and ¼ cup water to a grinder. (If using unsweetened shredded coconut, soak 3 tablespoons in ¼ cup boiling hot water until soft, about 15 mins. Add to the grinder and pour 3 tablespoons milk.)
13. Make a smooth paste. If you are using shredded coconut, make sure it’s been ground to a very smooth consistency else your dal will be gritty with coarse coconut.
14. When the dal is cooked, add it to the keerai along with the coconut.
15. Mix well and add more hot water as required. You will need about ¼ to ½ cup water depending on the amount of dal you used. Simmer for 3 to 4 mins, until bubbling hot. Taste test to adjust salt. If it is low on heat, add little ground black pepper. If you want remove the curry leaves sprig.
I do not make an additional tempering to this keerai kootu because I cook in ghee and it already has a lot of flavor from the coconut and dal. However if you want, you may heat a tablespoon of ghee in a small pan. Add a pinch of each, mustard and cumin seeds, a red chili and curry leaves. When the leaves turn crisp, add a pinch of hing and turn off. Pour it over the keerai kootu.
Expert Tips
- Traditionally a lot of people fry dried red chilies and a tablespoon of dal. Grind them with coconut and cumin seeds. I do that while cooking kootu with bland vegetables like gourds and squash. For this Keerai Kootu, I prefer this simpler method of adding ground coconut and ground cumin.
- Traditionally the dish is cooked either with sesame oil or coconut oil. If you use oil to cook, add little ghee when you serve.
- I have tried this with unsweetened shredded coconut. It requires a thorough soaking and grinding very well with milk to mimic the fresh coconut flavors. I have tried it with dairy but plant milk should work the same way.
- Kootu is not a spicy dal, so avoid adding too many spices. It tastes best with minimal spices.
- Not everyone likes to eat the cooked curry leaves because they won’t always cook down soft. So you may add the whole sprig to the tempering and discard after cooking.
- If you don’t have a pressure cooker, Soak the lentils for 30 mins in hot water (1:3 ratio). Later cook them until mushy. Adjust the water as you cook, depending on the kind of lentils.
- To make this in instant pot/ pressure cooker, make the tempering, saute onions tomatoes and add the dal. Pressure cook for 11 mins or for 3 whistles, open and add the chopped spinach and ground coconut. Cook for a few minutes. This works best with young greens.
Recipe Card
Keerai Kootu (Spinach Kootu)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
To cook lentils
- ⅓ cup moong dal (or ¼ cup toor & ¼ cup moong dal)
- ¾ to 1 cup water
To make the kootu
- 4 to 5 cups (120 grams) spinach/ keerai (palak or use any other)
- 1 small (½ cup) onion fine chopped or 8 shallots peeled and sliced
- 1 small (½ cup) tomato deseeded & sliced
- 1 green chili chopped (may omit for no heat)
- 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves fine chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons ghee or use oil of choice
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pinch hing / asafetida (optional)
- 1 dried red chili broken
- ¼ to ½ cup hot water
Ground spices (or use kulambu thool/ sambar powder/curry powder)
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon coriander powder
- ⅓ teaspoon cumin powder
To make the paste (or use canned coconut milk)
- ¼ cup raw grated coconut (or 3 tbsps unsweetened shredded coconut – read notes or use thick coconut milk)
- ¼ water
Instructions
How to make Keerai Kootu
- Rinse dal thrice and drain the water completely after every rinse. Pour fresh water and pressure cook in the instant pot for 10 mins or on the stovetop until you hear 3 whistles. When the pressure drops, mash the dal.
- Meanwhile, grind coconut with water in a grinder/ blender to a smooth paste. (If using shredded coconut, soak it in ¼ cup hot water until soft and blend with 3 tablespoons milk.)
- While the dal cooks, on a medium flame, heat ghee in a pot. Add the mustard, cumin seeds and red chilies. When they begin to crackle, add the garlic, curry leaves and hing. (If you want add the curry leaves sprig whole, this way you can discard at the end before serving)
- Saute for a minute and add onions and green chilies. Saute for 4 to 5 mins until transparent.
- Add tomatoes and salt. Cook until the tomatoes breakdown and lose the raw smell. Takes about 5 to 6 mins.
- Stir in the ground spices – red chili powder, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder. Add the chopped keerai and cook down until wilted. It takes me only 4 to 5 mins but this varies depending on the kind of greens you are using.
- Add the mashed dal and coconut. Mix well and pour ¼ to ½ cup hot water or as required to adjust the consistency. This dish gets thicker as it cools down, so keep it slightly runny.
- Simmer for 3 to 4 mins and adjust salt to taste. If you want more heat, add some crushed black pepper. Serve Keerai Kootu with steamed rice, millets, quinoa or with flatbreads.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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