Drumstick Leaves (Murungai Keerai) or Dandelion Poriyal

 INGREDIENTS

250 grams Drumstick Leaves (Murangai Keerai) or Dandelion

1/4 cup Moong Dal 1 cup = 250 ml

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tbsp Grated Coconut

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Salt Adjust to your taste

FOR SEASONING

1 tbsp Cooking Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp Split Urad Dal

1 Red Chili

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the drumstick leaves from its stem and chop it roughly. 

Take moong dal in a pan and a cup of water and turmeric and keep in flame and allow it to boil till it is cooked but not mashed. If you take a cooked moong dal and press it with your fingers, it should easily break. That is the right stage to remove the cooked moong dal from flame

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add split urid dal and broken red chilli and fry them till the dal turns golden brown color. Then add chopped drumstick leaves along with turmeric and salt and mix well

Add 1/2 cup of water and allow the murungai leaves to cook completely. The leaves will cook quickly. Unlike other greens, drumstick leaves does not become mushy after cooking. Add cooked dal and mix well. Adjust the salt if needed and keep in low flame for 5 more minutes

Meanwhile take grated coconut and cumin seeds in a mixer and grind it to a powder. Do not add any water while grinding

Add the ground coconut-cumin powder to the cooked keerai with dal and mix well. Keep the keerai in flame for 2 more minutes and then remove from flame

The yummy and delicious Murungai Keerai (Drumstick Leaves) Poriyal is ready to serve. We can serve this as a sidedish for any sambar or curry varieties. We can even serve this yummy poriyal with steaming hot rice with a spoon of ghee