My Food Story: ‘Keerai Masiyal’ is a meal for strength and good health

My favorite memories of Keerai Masiyal are from childhood, when we had it every Thursday. My mother called it a meal for “strength and good health.” She would pick fresh greens from the local vendor, and the house would fill with the earthy aroma of greens cooking with lentils. Softly mashed with a touch of tamarind and the crackle of mustard seeds, it was like a warm hug on a plate. Her simple, loving way of keeping us nourished makes it my ultimate comfort food even today.

Keerai Masiyal (Mashed Greens)

Ingredients

2 bunches of Keerai (approximately 3 cups, packed)

1/4 cup toor dal or moong dal

1 small onion (chopped)

2 tomatoes (chopped)

2 green chilies (slit)

A small lemon-sized ball of tamarind

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt (to taste)

For Tempering

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad dal

2-3 dry red chilies

A pinch of asafoetida

A few curry leaves

Method

Pressure cook the dal, chopped onions, tomatoes, and greens with turmeric, salt, and water until they are soft. Once cooked, mash the mixture well using a masher or the back of a ladle. Soak tamarind in a little warm water, extract the juice, and add it to the mashed greens. In a separate pan, heat sesame oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chilies, asafoetida, and curry leaves for tempering. Pour this tempering over the mashed greens, mix well, and serve hot with rice.

My Food Story is a collection of stories and recipes that celebrate India’s traditional plant-based ingredients sourced from local biodiversity. You can see these recipes on our interactive dashboard (https://www.cseindia.org/page/myfoodstory).

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Hyma Balaji is a homemaker from Tamil Nadu