Kale Poricha Kuzhambu is a twist on the traditional South Indian poricha kuzhambu recipe using the super green Kale. This recipe is straightforward and ready in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or lunch. This is a perfect side that pairs perfectly with rice and a dollop of ghee.
Poricha kuzhambu is one of the routine kuzhambu that I make often. It is a lentil and coconut-based side dish that can be served with rice or also as a side for Idli, dosai, or Pongal.
We all like kale in our house, but I don't cook it as much as I like to. It is usually because I try to make kale-specific recipes, like a kale salad or kale pasta. That is when I thought that if I have to use this healthy super green more often in our diet, I need to start incorporating it in my everyday recipes that I cook at home.
Being a South Indian, poricha kuzhambu was the first thing I tried with kale, and it was super delicious and very doable to make often. Podalangai (snake gourd) poricha kuzhambu, mixed vegetable poricha kuzhambu, or peerkangai (ridge gourd) poricha kuzhambu are a few varieties that I make routinely. This time, I swapped the vegetables for kale and pretty much followed the same process.
Why make kale poricha kuzhambu?
- If you are someone like me who is thinking of incorporating more healthy greens in your daily meals, then this recipe is perfect for you.
- Kale has a natural bitter flavor, and many avoid using it because of that. When cooked into a flavorful kuzhambu like this, the bitterness is lessened.
- It is a quick recipe that can be made for a weeknight dinner. So if you eat Idli or dosa for dinner, then this kale porcha kuzhambu can be a side for that.
- If you don't want to start off making the poricha kuzhambu entirely with kale, you can add a few other vegetables along with it to make it a mixed vegetable poricha kuzhambu.
Ingredients needed
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.
Kale - Kale is the star of the dish. Buy fresh kale and chop it finely to use in the recipe.
Toor dal - Tuvaram paruppu or toor dal is yet another important ingredient in the recipe. If preferred, we can swap the toor dal with moong dal as well.
To fry and grind - We will be using Urad dal (ullutham paruppu), red chilies, cumin, black pepper, rice, and grated coconut.
Turmeric powder
Jaggery / Brown sugar
Salt to taste
Oil - I use either coconut oil or gingelly oil (Indian sesame oil)
To season - We will need oil, mustard seeds, urad dal (ullutham Paruppu), red chilies (optional) and asafetida to season the poricha kuzhambu.
Step-by-step process
Prep the kale -
- Begin by chopping the kale, washing it and drain and keep aside.
Prepare the lentil (toor dal) -
- Wash and cook the dal using your preferred method. Add needed water and turmeric powder when cooking the paruppu. I use 3 times the water for dal.
- I use an Instant Pot and I cook it on pressure cook mode for about 13 minutes until it is mushy.
- If using a pressure cooker, cook it for 4 whistles.
- Once the lentil is cooked, remove it and mash it slightly, and keep it aside.
Fry and Grind -
- Heat about a teaspoon of oil and fry the urad dal, red chilies, a little rice, black pepper, and cumin.
- When they turn aromatic, add the grated coconut and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down. Then grind the spice mix using a little water to make a paste.
Cook the kale -
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add a teaspoon of oil. Add the chopped kale and saute for about 5 minutes.
- Now add about a cup of water, turmeric powder, and salt, and cook the kale until it is soft. This took about 10 minutes for me.
Add the spice paste and lentil -
- Check the kale to see if it's soft. Now add the ground spice paste and the cooked and mashed toor dal.
- Mix them well and let the kuzhambu boil on low heat for 7 to 10 minutes.
- Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed.
- Add a little jaggery in the end (optional) and mix.
Season -
- Heat a small pan and add oil.
- Once the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, and asafetida and fry.
- Add this tempering to the simmering poricha kuzhambu and turn off the flame.
Expert tips
- Toor dal could be replaced with moong dal for a different flavor.
- Adjust the red chilies depending on your spice level tolerance. Using red chilies in the seasoning (the end) is completely optional.
- Adding a little rice when frying the spice mix helps in thickening the poricha kuzhambu.
- Make sure to remove any stringy or fibrous parts of the kale before cooking it.
- Adding a little jaggery helps balance the natural bitterness that is present in the kale.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, we can use spinach, Swiss chard, or even beet greens to make the poricha kuzhambu.
We can easily swap the toor dal for moong dal in this recipe.
Cooking the kale removes most of the bitterness. At the end, adding a little bit of brown sugar or jaggery also balances out the bitterness.
More Greens Recipes
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Recipe
Kale Poricha Kuzhambu
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- pan
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 cups Kale chopped
- ½ cup Tuvaram Paruppu / toor dal
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Jaggery / Brown sugar
- to taste Salt
- 1 teaspoon Oil coconut oil or gingelly oil
Fry and Grind -
- 1 teaspoon Oil coconut oil or gingelly oil
- 2 tablespoon Ullutham Paruppu / Urad dal
- 3 Red chilies adjust depending on spice level
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Rice
- ½ cup Grated coconut
To season -
- 1 teaspoon Oil coconut oil or gingelly oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoon Ullutham Paruppu / Urad dal
- 2 Red chilies optional
- ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
Instructions
Prep the kale -
- Begin by chopping the kale, washing it and drain and keep aside.4 cups Kale
Prepare the lentil (toor dal) -
- Wash and cook the dal using your preferred method. Add needed water and turmeric powder when cooking the paruppu. I use 3 times the water for dal.½ cup Tuvaram Paruppu / toor dal
- I use an Instant Pot and I cook it on pressure cook mode for about 13 minutes until it is mushy.
- If using a pressure cooker, cook it for 4 whistles.
- Once the lentil is cooked, remove it and mash it slightly, and keep aside.
Fry and Grind -
- Heat about a teaspoon of oil and fry the urad dal, red chilies, a little rice, black pepper, and cumin.1 teaspoon Oil, 2 tablespoon Ullutham Paruppu / Urad dal, 3 Red chilies, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon Rice, ½ cup Grated coconut
- When they turn aromatic, add the grated coconut and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down. Then grind the spice mix using a little water to make a paste.
Cook the kale -
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add a teaspoon of oil. Add the chopped kale and saute for about 5 minutes.4 cups Kale, 1 teaspoon Oil
- Now add about a cup of water, turmeric powder, and salt, and cook the kale until it is soft. This took about 10 minutes for me.½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder, to taste Salt
Add the spice paste and lentil -
- Check the kale to see if it's soft. Now add the ground spice paste and the cooked and mashed toor dal.
- Mix them well and let the kuzhambu boil on low heat for 7 to 10 minutes.
- Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed.
- Add a little jaggery in the end (optional) and mix.1 teaspoon Jaggery / Brown sugar
Season -
- Heat a small pan and add oil.1 teaspoon Oil
- Once the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, and asafetida and fry.1 teaspoon Mustard seeds, 2 teaspoon Ullutham Paruppu / Urad dal, 2 Red chilies, ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
- Add this tempering to the simmering poricha kuzhambu and turn off the flame.
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