We used to live in a residential colony when we were young. Mornings were lively and busy. The milk man would be the first to come. Followed by the fish guy on his cycle, with wicker baskets tied on either side of the carrier. The baskets would be filled with that days catch and crushed ice. The baskets would be dripping and was a sight to watch. The one that I looked for the most was this old lady who had a wet burlap lined wicker basket on her head selling greens. She had all kinds of greens. She would chew on the tobacco constantly. She was so kind and called everyone “kannu”. She would sing songs with the names of the greens that she had in the basket. She had an attitude like no one. So positive all the time. I loved watching her on the street. My mom would buy the greens and she would handle the change from a small pouch that she had tied to her saree. She would throw in a couple of sprigs of curry leaves and coriander leaves for free. That was customary then. Fresh produce was really the norm. The old lady is gone now. I only have memories of her. My mom used to make greens almost every day. She cooked simple food but I loved it. This is my moms recipe for making keerai kuzhambu. Her Keerai Kadayal recipe is a family favorite. She makes greens so flavorful that everyone at home loves greens. Here is how to do Keerai Kuzhambu with dal.
You can use any kind of regular keerai / greens like Arai keerai , siru keerai, amaranth and palak. Do not use bitter variety of leaves like drumstick leaves or methi. Wash and clean the greens and chop them roughly. Set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the cumin seeds, ginger and the roughly chopped curry leaves. Fry briefly for a minute.
Add in the chopped onions and saute until soft. About 2-3 minutes on medium flame. No need to brown the onions.
Add in the chopped tomatoes and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt and the turmeric powder. Saute on medium flame for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in half a cup of water to the mixture.
Add in the chopped greens / keerai and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on medium flame. Once the greens are cooked, add in one cup of toor dal to the pan. Let it simmer for two minutes.
Grind half a cup of fresh shredded coconut with half a cup of water to a fine paste. Add it to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. Keerai kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice for lunch.
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds seeds
- 1 1/2 inch piece ginger, finely minced
- 2 sprigs curry leaves, chopped
- 2 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
- 2 big tomatoes, finely chopped
- 4 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 250 grams keerai / greens
- 1 cup cooked toor dal
- 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut
- Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the cumin seeds, ginger and the roughly chopped curry leaves. Fry briefly for a minute.
- Add in the chopped onions and saute until soft. About 2-3 minutes on medium flame. No need to brown the onions.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt and the turmeric powder. Saute on medium flame for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in half a cup of water to the mixture.
- Add in the chopped greens / keerai and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on medium flame. Once the greens are cooked, add in one cup of toor dal to the pan. Let it simmer for two minutes.
- Grind half a cup of coconut with half a cup of water to a fine paste. Add it to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. Keerai kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice for lunch.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Curry
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds seeds
- 1 1/2 inch piece ginger, finely minced
- 2 sprigs curry leaves, chopped
- 2 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
- 2 big tomatoes, finely chopped
- 4 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 250 grams keerai / greens
- 1 cup cooked toor dal
- 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut
- Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the cumin seeds, ginger and the roughly chopped curry leaves. Fry briefly for a minute.
- Add in the chopped onions and saute until soft. About 2-3 minutes on medium flame. No need to brown the onions.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt and the turmeric powder. Saute on medium flame for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in half a cup of water to the mixture.
- Add in the chopped greens / keerai and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on medium flame. Once the greens are cooked, add in one cup of toor dal to the pan. Let it simmer for two minutes.
- Grind half a cup of coconut with half a cup of water to a fine paste. Add it to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. Keerai kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice for lunch.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Curry
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/keerai-kuzhambu-keerai-kulambu/
Most of the Indian grocery stores in Hong Kong do home delivery. The turn around time is usually 1-2 days from the time of order. Here is a list of grocery stores that I like. I ordered from a lot of Indian stores in the past couple of months. Some were really good and some were OK. The really good ones are here.
Maharaja’s Indian Emporium http://maharajahongkong.com/ 205, 2nd Floor, Haiphong Mansions, 99-101, Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Tel: 2756-5611, 2366-2941 Its not a big store but well stocked with ingredients one will need in an Indian pantry. Its the best store for South Indian ingredients. They have a lot of variety when it comes to south Indian masalas. Its a good store to stock up on spices and dal. Home Delivery – YES ( Mostly an old “uncle”, Mr. Arif picks up the call to take orders. He is adorable! If you talk Tamil, you will place orders from this store for the sheer joy of talking with him.) The orders are usually delivered the next day. Fruits and Vegetables comes fresh on Wednesdays to the store.
Regency Spices http://regencyspices.hk / 5th Floor Qualipak Tower, 122 Connaught Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Tel: 2517-6577, 2517-2316 This store is your one stop shop for all your spice needs. Their spices are very fresh and come in neatly packed bottles. I recommend this store for spices. They even grind the spices to order. Their turmeric is the most aromatic.
Spice Store http://www.spicestore.hk/ Tel – 2944-2336 This is an online grocery store. I have ordered from them multiple times and find their packaging to be so neat and their lentils were particularly amazing. I strongly recommend if you are into online ordering! Shipping is free if you order more than $300. For orders below HKD 300, they charge a nominal delivery fee of HKD 30.
Kiran’s Provision Store http://www.kiranstore.com/ Shop 52, 1/F, Mirador Mansion, 58 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Tel: 2723-6781 Kiran is a very reliable Indian store. You can also do online ordering and pay by cash on delivery or transfer to bank account. They usually deliver the next day after ordering. They also undertake catering and have fresh indian snacks and sweets for pickup. A great store.
The Indian Provision Store 24 Bowrington Road, Causeway Bay, Tel – 2891-8324 This is a well stocked up store located in the Hong Kong Island. Its in Causeway Bay.
Star Trading http://www.starmarthk.com/ Shop No.16, G/F, Peninsula Apartment, 16 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,/ Shop 18, 1st Floor, Abba Shoping Mall, Aberdeen Tel :2366 6534. You can order online with them and they usually deliver the next day. They have a wide range of products.
Spice Box Organics http://www.spiceboxorganics.com/ 72 Third Street, G/F Shop K, Fook Moon Building, Sai Ying Pun, Tel: 2568 2728 If you are looking for organic indian ingredients, then spice box organics is your best option.
