One of the biggest thing, I missed once moving abroad is Greens. Back home, greens are served in everyday lunch menu. We get plenty of varieties according the season and availability. To tell the truth, I cannot even recognize just by seeing many green leaves till now.
In my home none was fussy eating the greens, usually we start eating greens first with rice and move forward to gravy and finish with rasam! My mom prepares everyday but alternate with stir- fry and puree with one variety each day! She makes sure we don’t get bored of the same green or taste.
Contrary, my son doesn’t even try a spoon, but it was one of the most lovable foods when he was toddler!
I am posting two ways of cooking greens: Masiyal (coarsely pureed and stir-fry), could be adapted with any greens except few…
The masiyal ( coarsely mashed greens) is served with hot rice and some ghee drizzled over the top!
Next come, the stir-fry, which is usually accompanied as a side dish for rice! For the masiyal (mashed/puree) I used Swiss chard, the taste is equivalent to “Arrai Keerai (tamil)” and the collard green taste pretty much like “drumstick leaves or Avutti Keerai (tamil)” has slight bitter taste.
Swiss chard Masiyal
Ingredients:
Sweet chard: one bunch
Green chillis: 3 or more
Garlic: 3 cloves peeled
Cumin: 1 tsp
Salt: seasoned only after puree the green or cooked !
Seasoning:
Red chillies: 2 broken into pieces (take out the seeds)
Split urad dhal: ½ tsp
Oil or ghee: 1 tsp
Method:
Clean the swiss chard, wash and chop. Take a pot big enough to hold the leaves, add the green chillies, garlic and cumin add the swiss chard and ¼ cup or less of water!
Cook until the leaves are tender and puree coarsely with hand blender.
Start the seasoning in separate pan with ghee, add the dhal and fry until golden brown and add the chillies. Switch off the stove and add to the puree green.
Serve the masiyal with ghee and enjoy with white rice.
************************************
Collard Green
In my home none was fussy eating the greens, usually we start eating greens first with rice and move forward to gravy and finish with rasam! My mom prepares everyday but alternate with stir- fry and puree with one variety each day! She makes sure we don’t get bored of the same green or taste.
Contrary, my son doesn’t even try a spoon, but it was one of the most lovable foods when he was toddler!
I am posting two ways of cooking greens: Masiyal (coarsely pureed and stir-fry), could be adapted with any greens except few…
The masiyal ( coarsely mashed greens) is served with hot rice and some ghee drizzled over the top!
Next come, the stir-fry, which is usually accompanied as a side dish for rice! For the masiyal (mashed/puree) I used Swiss chard, the taste is equivalent to “Arrai Keerai (tamil)” and the collard green taste pretty much like “drumstick leaves or Avutti Keerai (tamil)” has slight bitter taste.
Swiss chard Masiyal
Ingredients:
Sweet chard: one bunch
Green chillis: 3 or more
Garlic: 3 cloves peeled
Cumin: 1 tsp
Salt: seasoned only after puree the green or cooked !
Seasoning:
Red chillies: 2 broken into pieces (take out the seeds)
Split urad dhal: ½ tsp
Oil or ghee: 1 tsp
Method:
Clean the swiss chard, wash and chop. Take a pot big enough to hold the leaves, add the green chillies, garlic and cumin add the swiss chard and ¼ cup or less of water!
Cook until the leaves are tender and puree coarsely with hand blender.
Start the seasoning in separate pan with ghee, add the dhal and fry until golden brown and add the chillies. Switch off the stove and add to the puree green.
Serve the masiyal with ghee and enjoy with white rice.
************************************
Collard Green
Collard green has a slight bitter taste; the leaf is dark green and bit thick too. Wash the leaves, contains lots of soil, remove the white (hard part) which is in middle.
Collard Green stir- fry
Ingredients:
Collard green: a bunch (remove the white part in middle) washed and chop into bit size
Onion: ½ diced
Red chillies: 4 to 5 broken into pieces
Urad dhal: 1 tsp
Coconut: 1 tbsp grated
Salt: Only add after the greens are cooked (per taste)
Oil: 1 tsp
Method
Start heating oil, add the urad dhal, once fried add the red chillies , after few seconds add the onion. Fry until translucent.
Add the chopped leaves and and add little water, keep in medium heat and cook until they start wilt and tender.
Once cooked adjust the salt level and let the water evaporate. Sprinkle the coconut and switch off the stove.
The slightly bitter taste stir-fry taste good with white rice!
Tips to cook Greens:
Never cover with lid the green while cooking , it will loose the green color
Always add salt once the green is wilted or cooked
Add only minimun water, usually it cooks on his own water
*Sending to SWC:Greens hosted by Sowmya , event originated by Laksmi
Ingredients:
Collard green: a bunch (remove the white part in middle) washed and chop into bit size
Onion: ½ diced
Red chillies: 4 to 5 broken into pieces
Urad dhal: 1 tsp
Coconut: 1 tbsp grated
Salt: Only add after the greens are cooked (per taste)
Oil: 1 tsp
Method
Start heating oil, add the urad dhal, once fried add the red chillies , after few seconds add the onion. Fry until translucent.
Add the chopped leaves and and add little water, keep in medium heat and cook until they start wilt and tender.
Once cooked adjust the salt level and let the water evaporate. Sprinkle the coconut and switch off the stove.
The slightly bitter taste stir-fry taste good with white rice!
Tips to cook Greens:
Never cover with lid the green while cooking , it will loose the green color
Always add salt once the green is wilted or cooked
Add only minimun water, usually it cooks on his own water
*Sending to SWC:Greens hosted by Sowmya , event originated by Laksmi
*I just love Green , not only in food, seeing green after an harsh winter, definetly lifts ur spirit! Sending to FIC:Favourite hosted by Curry leaf, event originated by Sunshinemom
Comments
I too love greens. I used to be fussy about greens during my kiddo days :) but now I just love to incorporate them in many a ways possible. Thanks for the two ways of making the greens, and of course the tips are very useful dear.
Beautiful snaps.
tc
You are right we all miss those varieties of keerai and since we ourselves find very rarely,we would have missed to practice our kids eating greens...
My son too was not eating once but once he became Popeye fan,I give him now a days on the name of Popoye :D
Both your keerai dishes looks gorgeous.
my teddies and all at home love keerai, but I usually opt for the spinach and very rarely I get our variety of keerai from the indian shops...
delicious recipes you've displayed, and nice useful tips!
Yeah at home there was always greens, like cheera and then the leavesfrom the drumsticks etc........in our place also we ate everything and when i see my daughter say she don't like this or that and i am like getting angry with her saying she has too much luxury choice that we din't had when we were kid.
Have you tried Kale any of these way ?
THANKS for the hearty healthy and green entries.
Our all time fav.
Greens look Green.
-jai
I'd love to have some with lunch (I ate some masiyal last week at a wedding in Chennai)
The nearest I can get is a local variety of spinach which isn't too bad but not the quite the same.