Molagootal
- 55 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Molagootal, a Kerala gravy of spinach and moong dal with a coconut and cumin paste and a coconut oil tempering. Mild and vegetarian, serves 4, 55 minutes.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Good for: Tamil New Year, Onam
Ingredients
Moong Dal, For Rinsing½ cup
Water, For Cooking400 ml
Turmeric Powder1 grams
Spinach, Cleaned400 grams
Coconut Oil3 tsp
Urad Dal (split)2 tsp
Dry Red Chilli2 grams
Coconut, Grated40 grams
Cumin, For Grinding1 tsp
Salt1¼ tsp
Mustard Seeds1 tsp
Curry leaves2 grams
Asafoetida0.3 grams
Contains: wheat.
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 | 210kcal | 840kcal |
| Protein | 10g | 40g |
| Carbohydrate | 25g | 98g |
| Fat | 8.7g | 35g |
| Fibre | 8.6g | 34g |
| Sugar | 1.1g | 4.4g |
Method
Get ready: Rinse the moong dal. Wash and chop the spinach. Rinse the curry leaves. Grate the coconut and break the dry red chillies.
Add the moong dal, water and turmeric powder to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium flame for 3 whistles, then switch off the flame. Wait for about 10 minutes until the pressure releases completely. Open the cooker, check that the dal is soft, and mash it until smooth.
Add the spinach and water to a kadai. Cook on medium flame for 5 to 6 minutes until the leaves are soft and the raw smell goes.
Heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a small pan on low flame. Add the urad dal and dry red chillies and roast for 2 to 3 minutes until the dal is light golden. Cool for a minute, then grind them with the coconut, cumin and 60 ml water in a mixie for 3 minutes until smooth.
Add the cooked dal and ground coconut paste to the spinach. Add salt and mix well. Simmer on low flame for 5 minutes until the gravy is hot and lightly thick.
Heat 2 tsp coconut oil in a small kadai on medium flame for 1 minute until hot. Add the mustard seeds and fry until they splutter. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida and fry for a few seconds.
Pour the tempering into the molagootal and mix. Add the water as needed and simmer on low flame for 2 minutes until the gravy flows easily from the ladle. Switch off the flame and serve hot with rice.
Before you start
- How long does Molagootal take?
- 55 minutes from start to finish. That is 15 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Molagootal serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Molagootal vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Molagootal 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 Molagootal?
- 400 grams Spinach, ½ cup Moong Dal, 1 grams Turmeric Powder, 2 grams Dry Red Chilli, 40 grams Coconut, 2 grams Curry leaves, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Molagootal?
- No, it is cooked in an open pot.
- How many calories are in Molagootal?
- About 210 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
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