Keerai puli kuzhambu / Spinach sour gravy

Puli kuzhambhu / Sour Gravy is a traditional south indian gravy recipe goes well with hot rice and pappad. The gravy becomes more tasty while cooking with certain combination of vegetables. Spinach is one such combination.

Ingredients

-to saute
1. Gingelly oil - 2 tbs
2. Cooking oil - 1 tbs
2. Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad daal (white lentil) - 1/2 tbs
4. Curry leaves - 3 to 4

- to cook
1. Fresh Spinach - 1 bunch (If the spinach leaves are very big to cook, wash and chop the bunch)
2. Tamarind - one small lemon size (Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water and sqeeze it for juice) or 1/2 cup tamarind juice
3. Onion - 1 (finey chopped)
4. Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)

- Masalas
1. Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tbs
2. Coriander powder - 1/2 tbs
3. Salt to taste

Method

1. In a hot pan, heat 1/2 tbs cooking oil. Wash the spinach leaves and cook in it. Spinach reduces 75 % of its volume during this process. Keep aside the sauted spinach.
2. Heat 2 tbs of gingelly oil and 1 tbs of cooking oil together in a pan. Put fenugreek seeds and then mustard seeds + urad daal. After 30 sec put the curry leaves. Followed by curry leaves immediately add chopped onion and cook till it becomes transparent. Then add the tomatos. Cook the tomatos till it gets smashed.
3. Add the sauted spinach to this and cook for 1 min. Then pour the tamarind juice to this + 2 more cup of water. Add the ingredients under masalas one by one and mix well.
4. Boil the gravy till it gets thicken and then remove from fire.
5. Optional - If you feel the recipe is spicy add 1/4 cup of coconut milk 5 mins before removing from fire. Serve with hot rice and pappad.