Weekend Brunch 3

I was busy posting all other kinds of recipes that I almost forgot about the weekend brunches......So here I go with another weekend brunch recipe........Rice with Keerai (spinach) milagootal, maangai(raw mango) curry and vazhaikai(raw banana) curry. Keerai milagootal (also called poricha kootu in tamil) and mangai curry are famous dishes in Kerala which is also made in Tamilnadu under different names....Not sure why it is called milagootal(milagu means pepper) when the recipe doesn't really call for pepper in it........But driven by the name I do add 1/2 tsp of pepper bcos its anyways good for health.....my hubby loves keerai milagootal and I try to cook spinach every weekend......about vazhaikai (raw banana) even though it is has a lot of potassium, Vitamin B6, etc and is good for health, it takes time to digest and can sometimes lead to gastric issues.....so I would always recommend you use some ginger, hing or garlic(if u like it)......this definitely aids in digestion......and mango curry goes well even with plain curd rice, upma or chapathi and this can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a week like other home made pickles.
Keerai milagootal:
Spinach- 1 bunch
Tur dhal- 1/4 cup
moong dhal-1/2 cup
coconut- 2 tbsp
urad dhal- 1 tbsp
pepper- 1/2 tsp
red chilly- 3
Cumin seeds -1 tbsp
Rice flour- 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Hing- a pinch
salt
oil
Method:
Pressure cook the dhal with little turmeric powder, hing and mash it nicely & keep it aside. Cook the chopped spinach with little water, salt & a pinch of turmeric powder. Once the spinach is cooked well, slightly mash it with the back of the laddle and then add the mashed dhal to it. In the meantime in a drop of oil slightly roast the urad dhal(until golden brown), red chilly & pepper and grind it with coconut, cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp of rice flour. Add this paste to the spinach + dhal and add water if it is too thick & let this cook nicely for 5 mins. Then in a tsp of oil splutter mustard seeds & hing and finally add it to the spinach and serve with rice with a tbsp of ghee.
Vazhaikai (raw banana) curry:
Ingredients:
Raw banana- 1 big
Onion- 1/2 of big onion
Tomato- 1/2
sambar powder- 1 tbsp
turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1 /2tsp
salt
Hing- 1 tsp

For tempering:
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp
Urad dhal- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Ginger/garlic grated- 1 tbsp
Method:
Slice the raw banana into circle or semi-circle pieces and put it in a bowl filled with water.
Add all the tempering items one by one to hot oil, then add the chopped onions, tomatoes & saute till the onion gets cooked. Now add the sliced raw banana pieces.
Add salt, sambar powder,turmeric powder, red chilly powder & hing. Sprinkle some water to help the raw banana get cooked and close the lid of the pan. After 2-3 mins, open the lid and see if the banana pieces are cooked. Then saute them for another 2-3 mins and then serve hot with rice.

Maangai(mango) curry:
Raw mango- 1
Red chilly powder- 2 tbsp( add to taste)
Salt- to taste
Asafoetida (Hing)- 2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tbsp
Oil- 2tbsp Method:
Chop the mango into small teeth like pieces and put it in a bowl along with required chilly powder and salt. In the meantime, temper the mustard seeds in hot oil, when the mustard seeds splutter add the hing also to the hot oil to get a nice aroma and pour this over the mango pieces in the bowl and mix nicely. give it 20-30 mins and then serve with rice. According to me, hing is a must in this recipe and is what gives the pickle a nice flavor.