Muringa Ila Erissery
Muringa Ila Erissery is a delicious Kerala Style preparation made with muringa ila or moringa leaves. This is a type of ozhichu curry (curry served with rice) served for a day-to-day meal in the Kerala Cuisine.
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Small blender/mixer-grinder
- cooking spoons
- Measuring Spoons/Cups
- chopping board and knife
- Small Pan For preparing Tadka/tempering (used on the stovetop)
- Small Bowl
- Serving Dish
Ingredients
CURRY
- 115 grams (½ cup) toor dal rinse with water 2-3 times
- 50 grams (approx. 2 cups) muringa ila/moringa leaves
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
GRIND TOGETHER
- 75 grams (¾ cup) grated coconut fresh or frozen and thawed
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
TADKA/TEMPERING
- 1 tablespoon oil use coconut oil for an authentic taste
- 1-2 large shallots or pearl onions; thinly sliced crosswise
Instructions
PREP WORK
- Prepare the moringa leaves. Detach them from the stem and wash well with water.
- Get all your ingredients ready.
- Grind the coconut and cumin seeds with about ½ cup of water to a smooth paste.*
COOKING
- Add toor dal to the steel insert of Instant Pot. Add 1 cup water and latch the lid. Vent in the SEALING position. PRESSURE COOK (or MANUAL MODE in some models) on HIGH for 15 minutes. Natural pressure release (It takes few minutes for the pressure to build up in the Instant Pot. Additionally, it takes about 20 minutes for the pressure to be released naturally). Once the pressure is released completely, press CANCEL.
- Open the lid, and add the washed moringa leaves, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, and water if required. Cook until the moringa leaves wilt and comes to a rapid boil. Note: Start with 1 teaspoon of salt and add more if needed.
- Add the ground coconut paste and bring it back to a boil. At this stage, adjust the consistency by adding more water if required, adjust the spice and salt.
PREPARE TADKA ON STOVETOP
- Heat oil in a small tadka pan on the stovetop (medium heat)t. Add the thinly sliced shallots and fry them until aromatic and brown.
- Pour over the curry and serve hot.
Notes
1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish).
1 TEASPOON = 5ML; 1 TABLESPOON= 15 ML
Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
Serving size – This serves 4 people. Adjust the serving size to fit your dietary needs.
Curry thickens slightly on cooling. Add a sufficient quantity of water to adjust the consistency while reheating.
Prep Time - Time to rinse the dal, prepare the moringa leaves and get ingredients ready. Cook Time - Time for actual cooking (some of this happens unattended). Additional Time (unattended) - Instant Pot takes about 8-10 minutes to reach full pressure. It also needs about 20 minutes for natural pressure release.
We use Instant Pot to prepare the dish in the video below. You can use a regular pressure cooker on the stovetop instead of the Instant Pot.
*[Time-Saving Tip: Grind the coconut while you are waiting for the dal to cook]