• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Vidhya’s Vegetarian Kitchen logo
  • Home
  • About
    • VVK Galleries
    • VVK YouTube Channel
    • VVK Mentions
    • Privacy & Copyright Policies
  • Recipes
  • Shop
    • Amazon Shop
    • Cookbooks
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Kootu Varieties » Keerai Kootu | Moong Dal Spinach Gravy

    Keerai Kootu | Moong Dal Spinach Gravy

    Posted on December 24, 2018 · Last Updated on August 20, 2022 · By Srividhya G · 26 Comments

    272 shares
    • Share199
    • Tweet
    • Reddit
    Jump to Recipe Card
    Moong Dal Spinach Gravy with Coconut collage with text overlay

    Call it Keerai Kootu or spinach gravy or keerai molagootal, this delicious and healthy Moong Dal Spinach Gravy pairs well with rice, and it is an excellent side on your mealtime menu.

    Keerai Kootu - Moong Dal Spinach Gravy - served and ready

    Tamilnadu Thali is incomplete without a kootu. Along with the dry curry, you will always find a vegetable kootu in the menu.
     

    My Cookbook | The Essential South Indian Cookbook

    I am so excited to share that my new book, The Essential South Indian Cookbook, is coming out this October 2019! This book contains 75 South Indian recipes, including meat and seafood recipes. Thanks to Kat Green for taking care of the meat and seafood-based recipes. The recipes in this book will definitely let you explore the culture and the regional cuisines of South India. Right from idli, sambar, puttu, pesarattu, ragi mudde, vegetable curries, and gravies, I have it all. Let’s not forget the meat and seafood dishes as well and oh yeah the desserts too. :-)

    Preorder your copy today! Click here to preorder.

    The Essential South Indian Book Cover

    Kootu is a Tamil word meaning a mix of things, and regarding food, it means a combination of vegetables and lentils. You can make kootu with just one vegetable and lentil or with a mix of vegetables. Moong dal or the yellow mung bean and chana dal or the Bengal gram dal are the widely used lentils for the kootu.
     
    I like to combine chana dal with the melon varieties like winter melon or pumpkin or with snake gourd. For this spinach kootu, I always prefer moong dal. 
     
    Overhead shot on the gravy with a cherry tomato and some greens around
     
    Back in India, we used to get different spinach varieties, and you can prepare similar kootu with almost all the spinach varieties.  In the US, I get drumstick leaves, amaranth greens, and the regular spinach. Rarely we do get the Indian Pennywort, and I have posted the Indian Pennywort/Vallarai keerai kootu and dosai already.
     
    In our household, we always make kootu without any onion and garlic, but there are few exceptions like green tomato kootu and raw papaya kootu where I would have added onion by no garlic for sure. :-)

    Quick Meal with Kootu:

    We all love kootu, and vaandu’s favorite is the chow-chow kootu. Kootu is typically a side dish, but I can have it with just rice and ghee without any sambar or rasam. I introduced all the veggies to vaandu in the form of kootu. I used to make it mild (even now my food is mild) and mix it with rice along with a tsp of ghee and feed him.
     
    During busy weekdays, I prefer just kootu and rice. It is easy to make, and it makes a pretty balanced meal. You can not rely only on the kootu for protein as we use only ¼ cup of moong dal. 
     
    Keerai Kootu with rice on the side
     
    Now without any further ado, here is the spinach kootu recipe. Add some vibrant green color to your meal platter with this delicious kootu.

    Keerai Kootu – Moong Dal Spinach Gravy

    Ingredients:

    • Spinach – 1 lb
    • Kosher Salt – 2 tsps
    • Ground Black Pepper – ½ tsp
    • Tumeric powder – ¼ tsp
    • Moong Dal – ¼ cup
    • Water – ¾ cup
    • To Temper:
    • Coconut Oil – 2 tsps
    • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
    • Urad Dal – 1 tsp
    • Chana Dal – 1 tsp
    • Hing – ¼ tsp
    • To Grind:
    • Grated Coconut – ½ cup
    • Cumin Seeds 1 tbsp
    • Dried Red Chilies – 2 (I used the Kashmiri Red Chili Variety)
    • Water – 3 tbsps

    Prep – Work:

    • Wash the spinach and drain the water. Chop them roughly.
    • Grind the coconut, cumin seeds, and dried red chilies into a smooth paste by adding 3 tbsps of water.
    • Wash the moong dal and pressure cook it by adding ¾ cup of water for up to three whistles. If using Instant Pot, then pressure cook it in manual mode for five minutes and release the pressure after five minutes or naturally.
    • Allow the moong dal to cool and mash it roughly.

    Steps:

    • Head the kadai and add the oil.
    • When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and the hing.

    Adding the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and hing.

    • Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and then add the chopped spinach, salt, turmeric powder, and ground pepper.

    Adding chopped spinach, salt, turmeric powder and ground pepper

    • Do not add any water. Mix the spinach and allow it to cook for five minutes stirring every two minutes.

    Mixing spinach and allowing it to cook properly

    • In less than seven minutes, spinach will wilt and ooze out water. 
    • Now add the cooked moong dal and ground coconut paste. 

    Adding cooked moong dal and ground coconut paste

    • Mix them thoroughly and cook for three to four minutes over low-medium heat.

    Cooking for three to four minutes over low-medium heat

    • If you want thin consistency, then add ½ to ¾ cup of water, and cook it for five more minutes.

    Delicious gravy served and ready

    And that’s it. Keerai Kootu or Moong Dal Spinach Gravy is now ready. Serve it hot with rice with a dollop of ghee or serve it as a side along with rice and sambar or rice and rasam. You can also pair it with vathal kuzhambu. Do checkout my easy vathal kuzhambu recipe.

    Notes:

    • Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
    • Adjust the water according to your consistency preference.
    • Traditionally moong dal is used in the spinach kootu, but you can try with masoor dal / red lentils or with channa dal / Bengal gram dal. 
    • Try not to skip the ground pepper as it acts as an antiseptic. 
    Pin Recipe Print Recipe
    5 from 6 votes

    Keerai Kootu | Moong Dal Spinach Gravy

    Keerai Kootu - Healthy and delicious moong dal spinach gravy with fresh ground coconut masala - a traditional mealtime gravy from South India without any onion and garlic.
    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: TamilNadu
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 148kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb Spinach
    • 2 tsps Kosher Salt
    • ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
    • ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
    • ¼ cup Moong Dal
    • ¾ cup Water

    To Temper:

    • 2 tsps Coconut Oil
    • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp Urad Dal
    • 1 tsp Chana Dal
    • ¼ tsp Hing

    To Grind:

    • ½ cup Coconut Grated
    • 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
    • 2 Dried Red Chilies I used the Kashmiri Red Chili Variety
    • 3 tbsp Water

    Instructions

    Prep - Work:

    • Wash the spinach and drain the water. Chop them roughly.
    • Grind the coconut, cumin seeds, and dried red chilies into a smooth paste by adding 3 tbsps of water.
    • Wash the moong dal and pressure cook it by adding ¾ cup of water for up to three whistles. If using Instant Pot, then pressure cook it in manual mode for five minutes and release the pressure after five minutes or naturally.
    • Allow the moong dal to cool and mash it roughly.

    Steps:

    • Head the kadai and add the oil.
    • When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and the hing.
    • Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and then add the chopped spinach, salt, turmeric powder, and ground pepper.
    • Do not add any water. Mix the spinach and allow it to cook for five minutes stirring every two minutes.
    • In less than seven minutes, spinach will wilt and ooze out water.
    • Now add the cooked moong dal and ground coconut paste.
    • Mix them thoroughly and cook for three to four minutes over low-medium heat.
    • If you want thin consistency, then add ½ to ¾ cup of water, and cook it for five more minutes.
    • And that's it. Spinach kootu is now ready. Serve it hot with rice with a dollop of ghee or serve it as a side along with rice and sambar or rice and rasam.

    Notes

    • Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
    • Adjust the water according to your consistency preference.
    • Traditionally moong dal is used in the spinach kootu, but you can try with masoor dal / red lentils or with channa dal / Bengal gram dal.
    • Try not to skip the ground pepper as it acts as an antiseptic.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1264mg | Potassium: 929mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 10880IU | Vitamin C: 65.2mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 5.6mg

    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

    PS:

    I am sending this recipe to the BM 95. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#95

    You will love these recipes, too:

    • Instant Pot Kadappa | Kumbakonam Kadappa
    • Wadi Ki Biryani | Instant Pot Punjabi Wadi Biryani
    • Kashmiri Peas Pulav | Instant Pot Pulav
    • Sindhi Veg Biryani | Instant Pot Version
    Moong Dal Spinach Gravy with Coconut collage with text overlay
    272 shares
    • Share199
    • Tweet
    • Reddit

    Filed Under: Kootu Varieties Tagged With: araicha kootu, Blogging Marathon, keerai kootu, keerai molagootal, meal time recipes, moong dal spinach gravy with coconut, no onion no garlic, pasalai keerai kootu, south indian, spinach gravy, spinach kootu, TamBram style kootu

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Uma Raman says

      February 15, 2021 at 3:45 am

      Kindly upload good South-Indian recipes

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        February 15, 2021 at 8:55 pm

        Sure. Thanks

        Reply
    2. Padmini Srivastava says

      September 27, 2020 at 6:35 pm

      Please check your point no. 7. I think it is a typo error

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 27, 2020 at 6:50 pm

        Thanks for pointing it out. I fixed it. Sorry about that.

        Reply
    3. Saankhya says

      June 01, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      5 stars
      So good! I added one more chilli and ½ cup more of dal to this. Used frozen spinach and it still turned out delicious. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 02, 2020 at 7:36 am

        Awesome. Glad it came out well with frozen spinach. Thanks for the feedback.

        Reply
    4. Swati says

      February 21, 2019 at 3:37 pm

      I cook Dal palak in a different way. I like the idea of adding coconut to it.. that must have added a nutty flavour to the dish. Looks tempting!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        February 22, 2019 at 11:15 am

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    5. Priya Srinivasan says

      February 20, 2019 at 9:51 am

      that is a lovely setup vidhya, we too love kootu’s! infact my household runs on kootu :)
      We too love moong dal for most of our kootu Keerai kootu, a simple, yet comforting dish.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        February 20, 2019 at 6:08 pm

        Thanks much Priya.

        Reply
    6. Chef Mireille says

      January 23, 2019 at 9:05 pm

      5 stars
      Spinach is just about my favorite vegetable and I put it in everything. This is my kind of dish and can easily dig into this one

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        January 24, 2019 at 9:56 am

        Thanks :-) Same here. Try to sneak in on all the dishes.

        Reply
    7. Veena Krishnakumar says

      January 18, 2019 at 6:33 am

      Palak keerai kootu is such a comfort food. Love to eat this with rasam and hot rice

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        January 18, 2019 at 7:04 am

        It is Veena. Love that combo with rasam.

        Reply
    8. Pavani says

      January 17, 2019 at 1:21 pm

      5 stars
      That is a lovely spinach kootu recipe Vidhya. I make chow chow and lauki kootu but never made with spinach. I am definitely going to try this recipe for my family. Pinned!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        January 17, 2019 at 5:55 pm

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    9. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      January 10, 2019 at 8:05 pm

      5 stars
      Love your setup and that thaali looks fabulous. Keerai kootu is the kind of comfort food I want to come home to.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        January 11, 2019 at 9:00 am

        :-) Same here. Love these simple and healthy comfort foods.

        Reply
    10. Gayathri Kumar says

      January 03, 2019 at 1:55 am

      I love this version of koottu. We can add all sorts of greens and make a healthy meal out of it.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        January 03, 2019 at 12:39 pm

        oh yeah true.

        Reply
    11. harini says

      December 31, 2018 at 3:39 pm

      5 stars
      Comfort food at its best. Love the set up, props and the food there.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        December 31, 2018 at 9:12 pm

        Thanks Harini.

        Reply
    12. Suma Gandlur says

      December 29, 2018 at 5:33 pm

      That is one flavorful and nutritious kootu. The mild kootu is a suitable one for all ages as you mentioned.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        December 31, 2018 at 10:10 am

        True. Thanks Suma.

        Reply
    13. Priya Suresh says

      December 26, 2018 at 1:36 pm

      Am in love with that spice paste went in it, such a flavourful kootu. I can have this kootu with some rice and papads without any fuss. Inviting set up there.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        December 27, 2018 at 9:22 am

        Thanks a lot. :-)

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome

    Author Vidhya smiling in the renovated kitchen

    Hello all, I am Srividhya, the person behind this blog. I firmly believe that the mouth is the way to the heart. My blog is all about vegetarian and vegan food with unique and exciting recipes from all over the world. From traditional, authentic recipes to fusion and eggless bakes, you can find it all here! Read more →

    Enjoy My Cookbooks

    Two cookbooks beautifully presented on the table

    Discover the diverse and delicious taste of South India, eggless recipes made in Instant Pot and other deliciousness! Find out more →

    Sign Up to Newsletter

    Must-Try Pumpkin Recipes 

    • Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte
    • Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice | Easy Pumpkin Juice
    • Pumpkin Spice Cookies | Vegan and Gluten-Free
    • Milk Powder Pumpkin Burfi | Easy Milk Powder Burfi Recipe

    As Featured On

    As seen on logo banner

    YouTube

    Follow me on YouTube for regular recipe videos and insights from my kitchen!

    Follow

    Disclosure

    VVK is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program - an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate VVK earns from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy →

    Most Popular Posts

    • Snake Gourd Curry | Chichinda Sabji
    • Weekly Vegetarian Meal Planning Chart
    • Orange Peel Kuzhambu | Gojju
    • Carrot Halwa | Gajar Ka Halwa
    • Instant Pot Kalkandu Sadam | Kalkandu Pongal
    • Til laddu | Ellu Urundai | Sesame laddu

    Explore Your Favorites

    15 + Mango Recipes

    25 + Easy South Indian Instant Pot Recipes

    10 + Must Try Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

    20 + Kids Friendly Lunch Box Recipes

    20 + Indian Lentils Recipes Made in Instant Pot

    Footer


    VVK is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program - Privacy Policy
    HOME | ABOUT | CONTACT US

    Footer

    ↑ Back to Top

    VVK horizontal logo

    About

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    Cooking

    • Sign Up to Newsletter
    • All Recipes
    • My Cookbooks
    • My Amazon Shop

    VVK is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program

    Copyright © 2023 | VidhyasHomeCooking.com