KEERAI CHAARU-the leafy juice

Keerai Chaaru.

There are so many different ways to cook your greens. This is one of the simplest. It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. I usually cook this on days when I run out of ideas or when I have the leftover meat from the previous day. This goes perfectly with rice and any kind of meat. Try this with the pepper mutton. You'll know what I mean. You can use chye sim, spinach or any other 'keerai'. You can also cook bean sprouts using the same recipe. When doing so, add a pinch of tumeric powder. Use red chilli, just for the colour variation.

If you need more chaaru, just increase the amount of milk and water.

Should you need to dilute it after you finish cooking, use hot water. You can also add bean curd when adding the milk.

Adding 2 or 3 shrimps when sautéing the onions, gives an added flavour. Of course, this

is optional.

Keerai Chaaru Recipe

Ingredients

Chye Sim -  2 bundles

1 small onion - thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic - grated/chopped/halved

2 Chilli padi/ 1 red chilli sliced thinly

Coconut milk / any preferred milk - 1/2 cup

Water

3 tbsp of cooking oil

Salt to taste

Bean curd (optional)

Shrimps (optional)

Method

1. Wash and cut the vegetables. (Around 1 cm in thickness)

2. In a pot, heat the oil (low flame)

3. Add onions. Sauté until they turn translucent. 

4. Add garlic. Fry for 5 seconds.

5. Add the vegetables and chilli. Mix them.

6. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Add the milk.

8. Add a cup of water. (Dilute more after tasting it)

9. Add salt.

10. When the chaaru starts to simmer, stir and turn off the heat.

Try it and let me know how it turned out.