Keerai Sadam
- 55 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Keerai sadam, a Tamil Nadu one pot rice of rice, moong dal and spinach with garlic, ghee and lemon. Mild, vegetarian, serves 4, about 55 minutes plus resting.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Good for: Lunchbox
Ingredients
Oil3 tbsp
Mustard Seeds1 tsp
Cumin1 tsp
Urad Dal (split)1 tsp
Curry leaves2 grams
Green Chilli, Slit10 grams
Onion, Finely Chopped1
Garlic, Finely Chopped12 grams
Turmeric Powder1.5 grams
Palak (Spinach), Roughly Chopped300 grams
Salt1½ tsp
Rice300 grams
Moong Dal50 grams
Water, For Cooking700 ml
Ghee1 tbsp
Lemon Juice1 tbsp
Contains: milk.
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 494kcal | 1976kcal |
| Protein | 11g | 44g |
| Carbohydrate | 75g | 300g |
| Fat | 17g | 69g |
| Fibre | 5.8g | 23g |
| Sugar | 1.7g | 6.8g |
Method
Get ready by rinsing the rice and moong dal until the water is mostly clear. Wash the spinach well, drain it and chop it roughly. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, slit the green chillies, and rinse the curry leaves.
Heat the oil in a pressure cooker on medium flame for 1 minute until hot. Add the mustard seeds, cumin and urad dal. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the mustard seeds crackle and the dal turns light golden, then add the curry leaves and green chillies and fry for 1 minute until the curry leaves are crisp.
Add the onion and garlic and fry on medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion turns soft and light golden. Add the turmeric powder and stir for 1 minute until the raw smell goes.
Add the chopped spinach and salt. Cook on medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes until the greens wilt and reduce in volume.
Add the rinsed rice and moong dal, then pour in the water. Mix well and boil on high flame for 3 minutes until the mixture bubbles steadily.
Close the pressure cooker and cook on medium flame for 3 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, until the pressure pin drops. Open the cooker and check that the rice and dal are soft and fully cooked.
Check the consistency. If the rice looks watery, cook it uncovered on low flame for 1 to 2 minutes until it becomes thick. Switch off the flame, then gently mix in the ghee and lemon juice.
Before you start
- How long does Keerai Sadam take?
- 55 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Keerai Sadam serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Keerai Sadam vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Keerai Sadam spicy?
- It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Keerai Sadam?
- 2 grams Curry leaves, 10 grams Green Chilli, 12 grams Garlic, 1.5 grams Turmeric Powder, 300 grams Palak (Spinach), 300 grams Rice, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Keerai Sadam?
- Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
- How many calories are in Keerai Sadam?
- About 494 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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