Mashed amaranth (Keerai masial)

This is one of those super-healthy dishes that still tastes fantastic. It is very simple to make the recipe, and your body will thank you for the wonderful nutrition.

The base of the curry is earthy mung beans, which are beautifully complemented by the herby amaranth leaves. The straightforward temper adds a touch of mild spice, and the flash of ghee pulls this dish together. This is an everyday dish for home, but I like to pepper my elaborate dinners with simple, elegant dishes to keep the meal healthy.

This is one of the first cookbooks I bought about 30 years ago. I craved good South Indian cuisine when I moved to Philadelphia for my degree. We have cooked through most of the recipes in this cookbook, each one delicious; it helped us remember our lives in India while we assimilated in the US. This cookbook is always the first to come out when we crave this cuisine, and of course, it led me to get every other cookbook written by Chandra Padmanabhan.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

1/4 cup green mung beans, whole or split, soaked in 2 cups water overnight

3 cups water

Salt, to taste

2-3 bunches of green amaranth leaves, stemmed and washed thoroughly

For the temper:

3 tablespoons ghee

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon split black gram dal (urad dal)

1 dried red chilli

A generous pinch of asafoetida

NOTE: You can substitute spinach, gongura (sorrel), or other greens for this dish.

Rinse the soaked mung beans and boil them in 3 cups of salted water until cooked through and soft, about 20-30 minutes. Cook the lentils to a consistency you like: runnier if you are enjoying them with rice and a bit thicker for chapattis or bread.

While the mung beans are cooking, blanch the amaranth leaves in 2 cups of salted water till a bright colour, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool in cold water to stop the cooking. You want the leaves to look fresh; they will turn a drab grey if overcooked. Drain and chop very finely, working the knife through the leaves until they are fine. The original recipe calls for the leaves to be puréed, but I prefer to chop them for visual effect.

Add the amaranth leaves and remove the heat once the beans are well cooked. Mix the chopped leaves in well. Taste and adjust the salt.

Heat the ghee in a small vessel and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and urad dal. Fry for 1 minute, then add the red chillies and asafoetida. Stir once and pour over the curry. Stir in until well incorporated, and serve immediately.

If you want to prepare the curry ahead of time, stop at the point after you add the amaranth leaves. To serve, heat the curry until boiling, add the temper, and serve immediately.