Keerai Masiyal | Spinach Recipes

Keerai Masiyal is a flavorful spinach puree. It is a very popular choice among picky toddlers. It’s very versatile and you can easily sneak in their weekly dose of spinach. It can be made in under 10 minutes! Do you need more convincing to try it out?

Thanksgiving is already over, and we are almost in the month of December! In a month, we’ll be welcoming a New Year. Is it just me, or does it feel like the Holiday season always passes by so fast?

I was a picky eater and hated most vegetables, spinach included. My mom always came home for lunch when we resided in her office quarters. Once, she brought one of her friends home during lunchtime. Mom’s friend had her own lunchbox, and we shared our food. That’s when I tasted her flavorful spinach rice for the first time as a picky kid and loved it. Mom obviously got the recipe for the Keerai Masiyal from her friend.

My son loved spinach in all forms till he turned 2. After that, he started becoming very picky, especially with all the temperings added to Indian food. He would say, ‘Remove mustard seeds, remove jeera, remove coconut.’. The list became exhausting!

This Keerai masiyal became my savior in getting my son to eat spinach again! ‘Keerai’ is a tamil word for Spinach and ‘masiyal’ means mashed . In India, there are various varieties of spinach, consumed in different seasons. Keerai masiyal can be made from bland ones like Baby spinach or Palak varieties. It is very comforting, and you can use it in many ways.

Check out other healthy Toddler approved recipes from my blog

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Keerai Masiyal is

• A quick puree, made in under 10 minutes
• Perfect for busy toddler parents
• Iron-rich and protein-rich (If you add a ladle of cooked lentils to it)
• Very versatile.
• Makes mealtime interesting and fun for the kids

Ingredients for Keerai Masiyal

Spinach

I would recommend using a variety that blanches well and does not have any fiber. When you blend it, it should result in a smooth puree. Baby spinach and Palak varieties will work the best.

Garlic

The champion flavor of this dish. You can add it either raw or sauteed. We like ours to be sauteed, to make it subtle.

Green chilli

This is an optional ingredient. I usually don’t add it when I make it for my toddler.

Sugar

Add a pinch of sugar when you grind the spinach to retain the bright green color, which is obviously the selling point for kids.

Salt

Start slow and add more if needed. A little salt goes a long way with this Keerai Masiyal.

Keerai Masiyal : Step-by-step method

In a saucepan, add 1/2 cup of water and bring it to a boil.

Once it starts boiling, add the washed spinach to it and push it down. Close the saucepan with a lid. After 1-2 minutes, open the lid and remove the blanched spinach from the water. Save some of this water to blend the spinach.

In a small skillet or a tempering spoon heat ghee and add 3 crushed garlic pods. Cook till they turn a light brown. This step is optional.

Let the cooked spinach and garlic cool down a bit.

Add the roasted garlic (or raw garlic), green chili (if you’re using it), and the blanched spinach to a blender. Add some of the reserved water to blend it into a smooth puree. Adjust the water according to your preference.

You can even add a ladle of cooked dal when you blend it to make the puree protein-rich.

Mix the keerai masiyal with hot rice and ghee, or add it to idli/dosa batter or chappati/poori dough to make flavorful and healthy meals for your kids.