Cheera Kootan / Curried Red Spinach

Ingredients

2 bunches red spinach/ cheera, chopped

1/2 cup cooked and mashed tuvar dal

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 cup grated coconut

1/4 teaspoon cumin/jeera seeds

For tempering

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard

2-3 shallots, sliced thin

2-3 whole red chillies(broken into pieces)

1 pappad, torn into bits

few curry leaves 

Method

• Add the chopped spinach into the cooked dal.
•  Add 1 cup of water, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Cook until the spinach turns soft.
• Grind the coconut and cumin into a fine paste.
• Add this to the  dal and spinach. Mix well and cook on a low flame for 5 minutes.

For the tempering

• Heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds. 
• As the mustard starts to crackle add the whole red chillies, shallots, pappad pieces and curry leaves.
• As the pappad puffs up and the onions start to turn golden, remove from flame and pour this onto the spinach curry.Close with a lid for 3-4 minutes so that the aroma lingers in the curry.
• Serve with rice.