South Indies: Keerai Masiyal/Mashed Spinach

Keerai Masiyal is a typical Tambrahm dish & this probably is the purest form in which spinach can be eaten. I love dishes that bring out the flavor of the main ingredient. That's where this one stands out.

Its just mashed spinach & some mild seasoning. It really can't get better than this, can it? It just took me 10 mins to make this one. I ate this with steamed Rice & Rasam &  I went into a different world.

You Will Need:

• 2 cups spinach - washed & chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 3 red chillies - broken
• 1 tsp Urad dal
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tsp cooking oil

How To:

• Cook spinach in water with some salt & turmeric added to it. Cook till spinach is fully cooked.
• Mash the spinach leaves with the help of a vegetable masher ( I used a Pav Bhaji Masher ) into a fairly coarse texture.
• Temper with mustard seefds, red chillies & Urad dal.
• Pour over mashed spinach & mix well

Serve with HOT steamed rice .. Enjoi !!!

A few of them add a tbsp of rice flour & cook it with mashed spinach. I guess this is to thicken the gravy. I didn't feel the need to use it.

I had some leftover Keerai Masiyal for dinner & I ate it with Phulkas & it tasted great :) Who says, you can serve it only with rice??