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Home » Lunch » Sambar & Tamarind Gravies » Keerai Sambar | Spinach Sambhar | Cooker Recipe

Keerai Sambar | Spinach Sambhar | Cooker Recipe

Nov 15, 2021 · Modified: May 31, 2023 by Priya_Srinivasan ·

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Keerai sambar, a quick and easy pressure cooker recipe made with fresh fenugreek/methi leaves and toor dal.

Quick and easy sambar recipe | Keerai recipe | Spinach Recipe | Brahmin style keerai sambar recipe | Tamilnadu style keerai sambar | How to make keerai sambar in pressure cooker | How to include keerai in everyday meals | Weekday Lunch thali | Easy Lunch ideas | Simple vegetarian thali ideas

Methi leaves sambar

Keerai | Spinach Recipes

Keerai is the Tamil word for spinach. In english, we generalize it with one word spinach, but in most of the Indian languages we call the green with its specific name.

Today's recipe is Vendhaya Keerai Sambar, Fresh methi/fenugreek leaves sambar. This can be substituted with other fresh spinach.

Usually Keerai kootu and Keerai curry are famous with fresh keerai/spinach. Keerai kootu and rasam is our favorite lunch combo. Check out that lunch thali combo

Keerai Sambar | Spinach in Tamarind Gravy

Keerai/fresh spinach can also be made in to sambar like any other vegetables. Check this delicious purslane leaves/paruppu keerai sambar.

Fresh spinach/keerai as such releases water, so if you add more water, the sambar might become watery. So, while making spinach sambar, try not to add more water.

Keerai sambar with quinoa

More Lunch Thali Series

  • Methi leaves mor kuzhambu
    Vendhya Keerai Mor Kuzhambu | Mor Kuzhambu | South Indian Lunch #12
  • Ponnanganni Keerai Poriyal
    Ponnanganni Keerai Poriyal | South Indian Lunch #10
  • One pot meal rasam rice
    One Pot Rasam Sadam| Instant Pot Recipe | Mini Lunch Thali
  • Vazhaipoo Puli Kootu |Pressure Cooker Recipe | South Indian Lunch Thali #7

The Ingredients

  • Fresh Spinach, I have used methi leaves/fenugreek leaves for the sambar. You can also use amaranth, paruppu keerai, ponanganni, etc.
  • Toor dal/split pigeon peas is mostly used to make sambar in south-indian household. You can also use masoor or moong dal.
  • Masala paste, I have used a fresh masala paste with coconut, sambar powder, coriander seeds, and curry leaves to flavor the Keerai sambar today.
  • Tempering, regular tempering ingredients like mustard seeds, hing, and methi seeds is used in the recipe.

Step by Step instructions to make Keerai Sambar

Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions

  • I have used 3 bunches of fresh methi leaves for the recipe. Chop the root portion off, and roughly chop the rest of the methi leaves and wash it water well. Drain and keep it aside.
  • Wash and soak toor dal in water for 10 minutes.
  • In a spice grinder/small mixie jar, take fresh coconut, sambar powder, fresh coriander leaves, ginger, coriander seeds and tamarind. Grind this to a paste with enough water.
Keerai sambar making steps
  • Heat a pressure cooker with oil, splutter mustard seeds, hing, methi seeds. Add chopped tomatoes, saute for a minute. Add chopped methi leaves.
  • Drain excess water from toor dal and add it to the cooker. Add the ground masala. Wash the blender with 1 cup of water and add it to the cooker.
  • Add required salt, turmeric powder and another 1 cup of water to this. Mix well. Close the cooker and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
  • Let the pressure fall on its own. Open the cooker, mix well and serve it warm with rice and curry.

If you have tried this recipe and like it, give it a star rating or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #icampinmmykitchen and tagging me @priyasrinivasan. You could follow me and my recipes on  Facebook |  Instagram  | Pinterest  | twitter

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Today's Lunch Thali

Enjoy this healthy, nutritious keerai sambar with rice/quinoa. I served this along with

  • Rice/quinoa
  • cauliflower curry
  • rasam
Lunch thali with keerai

Do you like the recipe? PIN IT

Keerai Sambar pin

Recipe Card for Keerai Sambar

Keerai Sambar

Keerai Sambar | Spinach Sambhar | Cooker Recipe

Keerai sambar, a quick and easy pressure cooker recipe made with fresh fenugreek/methi leaves and toor dal. I have used methi/fenugreek greens, this can be made with any fresh spinach available in hand.
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian, South-Indian
Keyword: How to make keerai sambar, Keerai sambar recipe, Paruppu keerai recipe, Pressure cooker recipe, Sambar recipe, spinach recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 3
Calories:

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker
  • Blender/Mixie for grinding the fresh masala

Ingredients

  • 3 bunches Methi leaves/Vendhaya keerai approximate 4-5 cups when chopped
  • ½ cup toor dal/Split pigeon peas
  • 1 no medium tomato chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

To Grind Fresh Masala

  • ¼ cup freshly grated coconut
  • 1&½ teaspoon sambar powder homemade or store-bought
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 20 grams tamarind , a small marble of tamarind
  • a small piece of ginger
  • handful of fresh coriander leaves
  • few curry leaves

Tempering

  • 1 teaspoon oil, i normally use gingely oil/peanut oil for cooking these days
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds/kadugu
  • ¼ teaspoon methi seeds /fenugreek seeds

Instructions

  • Prepare the methi/vendhaya keerai the previous day to ease cooking. Chop off the roots, roughly chop the spinach, immerse in water for 10 minutes, drain and set aside until use.
  • While the spinach is resting, wash and soak toor dal in water for 10 minutes
  • In a spice grinder or small mixie jar, take ingredients given under "Fresh masala, to grind", add enough water and grind it to a smooth paste.
  • Heat a pressure cooker with oil for tempering, splutter mustard seeds, add hing and methi seeds to this.
  • Add chopped tomatoes to this and saute for a minute or until the tomatoes become soft.
  • Next tip in the drained spinach to this and saute for a minute.
  • Add the drained toor dal, ground masala to this. Add 1 cup of water to the blender jar, washa nd add the liquid to this cooker.
  • Add salt, turmeric powder and another cup of water, mix well. Close the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
  • Let the pressure fall on its own. Open the cooker, mix well. Serve this hot with rice/quinoa.
  • Any leftover sambar can be refrigerated for a day. Try and use it the next day itself.

Disclaimer

I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.

Tried this recipe?Mention @Icampinmykitchen or #icampinmykitchen
For Recipe VideosSubscribe & Follow @Icampinmykitchen on Youtube

More Lunch Thali Series

  • Keerai Kootu | Amaranth Dal | South Indian Lunch #2
  • Kurumilagu pickle
    Green Peppercorn Pickle | Kurumilagu Urugai | South Indian Lunch Thali #6
  • Paruppu-Rasam
    Paruppu Rasam | How to make Paruppu Rasam | South Indian Lunch #5
  • Kothamalli Thogayal
    Kothamalli Thogayal | Coriander Thuvayal | South Indian Lunch #4

Reader Interactions

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  1. Akila

    May 22, 2012 at 10:56 am

    My mom used to prepare this... Love it...

    Reply
  2. Shobha

    May 22, 2012 at 11:12 am

    Delicious sambar... my favourite..

    Reply
  3. Spice up the Curry

    May 22, 2012 at 11:46 am

    sambar looks delicious. nice recipe

    Reply
  4. kitchen queen

    May 22, 2012 at 3:06 pm

    Wow I have just put the same post methi leaves sambar just 2 days back. Urs looks very delicious.

    Reply
  5. Unknown

    May 22, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    I like this sambhar and do often

    Reply
  6. Priya Suresh

    May 22, 2012 at 5:48 pm

    I do the same way too, one of my comforting food.

    Reply
  7. schmetterlingwords

    May 30, 2012 at 9:06 am

    I try a similar version with Spinach. Sure to try with methi leaves soon. Thank you for linking this with Healthy Morsels - Baby and Toddler foods 🙂

    Reply
  8. Lecker and Yummy Recipes

    May 31, 2012 at 10:02 am

    wow never tried methi leaves with tuvar dal. Sounds excellent combo. Thank you Priya for sharing this delicious recipe with us in Healthy Morsels 🙂

    Reply

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