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    Home » Blogging Marathon » Keerai Kadaiyal in Clay Pot

    Keerai Kadaiyal in Clay Pot

    Posted on April 13, 2016 · Last Updated on August 11, 2021 · By Srividhya G · 42 Comments

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    Keerai kadaiyal is yet another signature recipe of Tamil Nadu cuisine and I wanted to try this in clay pot / Manchatti as we say in Tamil. I went with regular spinach that we get here in US (pasalai keerai) but this can be prepared with any greens that you get. It is a simple steamed spinach which is then mashed with Thayir Mathu / Buttermilk churner (see notes below) and tempered with spices. I am super glad that the Indian stores here started to carry Thandu keerai / Amaranth leaves and also Manathakkali leaves/garden huckleberry.       

    Manchatti Keerai        

    Our friend JV uses clay pot and she was suggesting the same to me too and I couldn’t find them at amazon but luckily found them here and ordered it right away. This is the penultimate recipe that I prepared for this A-Z challenge. (Between I am still a novice in photography. The steam photographs intrigued me a lot and tried in this recipe. All the steam became blurry and I got a some what decent one and that’s my featured. ahem ahem.. I can hear you laughing.. Any tip for steam photography would be helpful)

    Clay Pot With Churner

    Clay Pots:

    Clay pots or Manchatti is made out of earthen clay. We all know clay is porous meaning it has lots of tiny holes and that property of clay provides the unique characteristics for the clay pots. As they are porous, they retain the moisture during the cooking process. It reduces the acidity of the foods and also their inert property (chemically inactive) makes them not to react with foods. But before using the clay pot you need to process them and make it suitable for cooking and stove top. I just followed the instructions given in the package, but pretty much all the clay pots follow the same.

    Clay Pot

    • Wash them first with Luke warm water with mild soap and rinse it well.
    • Then soak them in water or fill the clay pot with rice stock or water and leave it overnight.
    • The next day remove the water, wipe it dry and apply coconut oil all over the pot and keep on stove top and heat the empty clay pot under medium heat for 5 minutes.
    • Once it is cooled down, add water or rice stock again and leave it overnight.
    • Repeat steps 2 to 4 for four days.

    Clay Pot with an open lid

    So here is the super simple, humble and healthy recipe, (both turmeric and pepper powder are used for killing any germs, in Tamil we say kirumi naasani)

    Serving Manchatti Keerai

    Ingredients:

    • Spinach (I used the regular spinach, you can any other spinach variety) – 10 oz pack 1
    • Oil – 2 tsps
    • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
    • Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
    • Turmeric Powder – a pinch
    • Salt – 1 tsp
    • Pepper Powder – ½ tsp
    • Red chilies – 3

    Steps:

    • Clean and chop the spinach.

    Chopped spinach

    • Heat the clay pot and once it is hot add the oil.
    • Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing.
    • As they start to splutter, reduce the heat to medium and break the red chillies and add it to the same.

    Keerai Kadaiyal Cooking Step

    • Fry for a minute and then add the spinach. (As my clay pot was small, I added half of the spinach and covered it for 2 minutes and then added the remaining half)

    Keerai Kadaiyal Step 2

    • Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
    • Now add the turmeric powder, salt and pepper powder.

    Keerai Kadaiyal Step

    • Cover and cook again for 3 to 4 minutes.

    Keerai Kadaiyal Step 4

    • Now using the butter milk churner or matthu, mash the spinach nicely.

    Keerai Kadaiyal Step 5

    • Cook till all the water evaporates or if you want to be like gravy, add 1 cup of water and mash it again and as it starts to boil turn the heat off.

    Keerai Kadaiyal Step 6

     

     

    Notes:

    • For this quantity, we can add 4 to 5 shallots for additional taste.
    • Mashed moog dal can be added like kootu.
    • Adjust the red chillies and salt according to your preference.
    • As I couldn’t find spinach masher/mathu I went with buttermilk churner / thayir mathu.

    Clay Pot Spinach Curry

     

    Clay Pot Spinach Curry
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    Keerai Kadaiyal in Clay Pot

    A super simple, humble and healthy spinach recipe prepared in a clay pot in the traditional way and mashed using buttermilk churner.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: sides
    Cuisine: TamilNadu
    Servings: 4
    Calories:
    Author: Srividhya G

    Ingredients

    • Spinach I used the regular spinach, you can any other spinach variety - 10 oz pack 1
    • Oil - 2 tsps
    • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
    • Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
    • Turmeric Powder - a pinch
    • Salt - 1 tsp
    • Pepper Powder - ½ tsp
    • Red chillies - 3

    Instructions

    • Clean and chop the spinach.
    • Heat the clay pot and once it is hot add the oil.
    • Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing.
    • As they start to splutter, reduce the heat to medium and break the red chillies and add it to the same.
    • Fry for a minute and then add the spinach. (As my clay pot was small, I added half of the spinach and covered it for 2 minutes and then added the remaining half)
    • Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
    • Now add the turmeric powder, salt and pepper powder.
    • Cover and cook again for 3 to 4 minutes.
    • Now using the butter milk churner or matthu, mash the spinach nicely.
    • Cook till all the water evaporates or if you want to be like gravy, add 1 cup of water and mash it again and as it starts to boil turn the heat off.

    Notes

    For this quantity, we can add 4 to 5 shallots for additional taste.
    Mashed moog dal can be added like kootu.
    Adjust the red chillies and salt according to your preference.

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

     

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    Filed Under: Blogging Marathon, Kootu Varieties Tagged With: A-Z Challenge, Blogging Marathon, giramiya samayal, gramiya samayal, how to prepare keerai kadaiyal, keerai kadaiyal, manchatti keerai kadaiyal, mashed spinach

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. ruchi indu says

      May 30, 2016 at 3:28 am

      i also do this often not in clay pot though :). We call it keerai masiyal

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 30, 2016 at 4:13 pm

        Yeah.. Keerai masiyal la we sometimes add dal too na..

        Reply
    2. Rani Vijoo says

      May 17, 2016 at 4:12 pm

      Awesome post and recipe Vidhya. Love your clay pot, Personally I am a big fan of these kind of traditional props…I have some but your clay pot looks so beautiful..especially its lid :-) thanks for the wonderful recipe with a clay pot, I will try!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 17, 2016 at 4:40 pm

        Thanks a lot Rani.. I love traditional props too. This one we can cook and use it as a prop too naa.. ;-) Please do try and let me know how you liked it. Thanks again.

        Reply
    3. Srivalli says

      May 02, 2016 at 4:08 am

      Wow this is an awesome post..not sure how I missed it!..its wonderful to cook in a new way and the results seem stunning as well..very healthy keerai!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 02, 2016 at 1:33 pm

        Thanks a lot Valli. :-)

        Reply
    4. Mireille Roc (@ChefMireille) says

      April 27, 2016 at 9:55 pm

      I’ve been thinking of getting a clay pot for a few recipes I want to do for my september theme I have chosen – what a rustic and traditional cooking method

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 28, 2016 at 8:22 am

        Thanks a lot Mir. Ancientcookware site has good collection and they have store in amazon too. I got it from there only. Luckily ancientcookware had free shipping going on. So it was pretty convenient.

        Reply
    5. Mullai Madavan says

      April 21, 2016 at 6:20 am

      Clay pot keerai kadaiyal are the best, lucky you to have that beautiful pot. I have one too but as good as yours…

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 21, 2016 at 7:05 pm

        Amazon dan Mullai. :-) Amazon eruka bayamen. lol Thanks a lot pa

        Reply
    6. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      April 18, 2016 at 8:24 pm

      SImply love the clay pot! I am going to ask my dad to bring one. He is a super good packer, so hopefully he can get me one without breaking it. I love keerai masiyal, but can never make like my mom does. Your version looks lovely. I am going to try it soon.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 19, 2016 at 8:31 am

        Getting it from India is the best… Amma’s cooking is always the best naa. Thanks a lot sandhya

        Reply
    7. Padma Rekha says

      April 17, 2016 at 8:55 am

      Traditional way of making keerai fantastic and healthy dish..

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 17, 2016 at 7:21 pm

        Thanks Padma.

        Reply
    8. Smruti | Herbivore Cucina says

      April 16, 2016 at 1:43 pm

      Lovely keerai masiyal Srividhya!! And I so wish I had a clay pot too. I have never cooked in one yet. Yours looks really great!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 16, 2016 at 8:50 pm

        Thanks a lot.. Got it from ancient cookware online site. Amazon has it too. Please do check it out. Thanks

        Reply
    9. harini says

      April 15, 2016 at 11:11 am

      An awesome dish and the way you presented it the authentic way in the clay pot is admirable.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 15, 2016 at 4:57 pm

        Thanks Harini.

        Reply
    10. Aruna says

      April 14, 2016 at 9:08 am

      I am coveting this clay pot. You are lucky to be living so far away. :p :p

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 14, 2016 at 10:30 am

        ha ha ha.. :-) I wish I could send you one. :-)

        Reply
    11. Asiya Subani says

      April 14, 2016 at 8:49 am

      Wow…Making this simple and yet delicious spinach bhaji in clay pot is a fantastic idea and the taste too would turn out yummy…

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 14, 2016 at 11:51 am

        Thanks a lot Asiya and welcome to my space.

        Reply
    12. Amara says

      April 14, 2016 at 4:43 am

      Never cooked in a clay pot. But my aunt uses clay pots for cooking a lot, it gives a earthy taste to the dish. The dish looks very healthy and yummy Srividhya. Beautiful clicks.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 14, 2016 at 11:07 am

        Thanks a lot Amara. :-)

        Reply
    13. gayathriraani says

      April 13, 2016 at 9:41 pm

      I make this once a week in man chatti. There is quite a difference between using man chatti and other vessels. This is so flavourful and tasty…

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 14, 2016 at 11:31 am

        Very true. Thanks a lot Gayathri.

        Reply
    14. Vaishali Sabnani says

      April 13, 2016 at 9:35 pm

      wow..cooking any dish in a clay pot would definitely enhance flavors..very rustic way of cooking..love the dish for its earthy flavors.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 14, 2016 at 11:44 am

        Thanks a lot Vaishali.

        Reply
    15. Nalini says

      April 13, 2016 at 7:11 pm

      Nothing beats the taste of keerai masiyal made in manchatti,it gives a nice earthy taste.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 13, 2016 at 8:23 pm

        True. Thanks a lot Nalini.

        Reply
    16. MahiArun says

      April 13, 2016 at 4:02 pm

      Butter milk churner for mashing keerai? :) There is separate mathu available for mashing dal and keerai, I brought it from india, but not this thayir mathu!! I think you have done the ulta! ;) :)
      Different way of keerai masiyal! Nice!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 13, 2016 at 4:11 pm

        yeah yaar ulta thingy ;-) ;-) . I couldn’t get them here. I have the potato masher but didn’t want to use it on a clay pot. Then thought why not use the butter milk churner. So went with this. Keerai mathu doesn’t have the claws right?

        Reply
    17. Suma Gandlur says

      April 13, 2016 at 2:50 pm

      Never cooked in earthen pots. Kudos to you for your trial to cook and present the dish in authentic way. The dish sounds rustic and but I bet it tastes good.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 13, 2016 at 4:11 pm

        Thanks Suma. Yeah. :-)

        Reply
    18. Priya Suresh says

      April 13, 2016 at 11:46 am

      This keerai kadaiyal is calling me, can have this healthy dish with some rice and spicy potato fry. Drooling already here.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 13, 2016 at 4:14 pm

        Spicy potato fry and keerai oh yeah perfect combo… thanks oriya.

        Reply
    19. usha says

      April 13, 2016 at 9:22 am

      You have to play around a bit to capture steam. I have not tried it myself. I should do it sometime.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 13, 2016 at 4:20 pm

        Yeah true usha. :-)

        Reply
    20. CHCooks says

      April 13, 2016 at 7:24 am

      Awesome Sri.. you managed to get a clay pot! I am super impressed. I am trying to convince S that I need a clay pot too but because of the space constraints, he has been saying no. I love keerai masiyal too and your version sounds very nice. Mine is little different and I so want to try this!
      By the way, steam photography is so difficult to nail right?! I tried and tried for my coffee post and could get only one decent shot. I am yet to spend time and try out more! Your featured shot with steam is pretty nice :) can almost smell the keerai masiyal :D

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 13, 2016 at 8:15 am

        Thanks a lot CH. M didn’t let me bring it from India. I agreed with him because I know how the checkin bags are thrown back and forth. Luckily found them online and got it. Space is one constraint for sure. Somehow I convinced. Yeah da, the keerai masiyal that amma does is also slightly different. I tried it like how my frnd’s mom does. Can’t wait your version. Please post it. :-) Ha tell me about steam photography. To be honest, I havent mastered the regular one itself but I dunno why I jumped on to this. What I read online was, for steam you need to use some artificial gas and stuff. But some say no also. As you said yet to spend time and explore. If you find something please do share. :-)
        Thanks for the feedback.

        Reply
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