Mala's Spinach Moru Kuzhambu (Vega's Mom's recipe)

If you have watched Like Water for Chocolate, then you surely believe that the way to one's heart is through food. Mala Nagarajan is a true believer. She says "I love cooking for other people, and I, like Tita, am convinced that the joy of love and life are 'wrapped up in the delights of food.' Remember, the secret to great cooking is to add lots of love. Have fun!" 

Ingredients:
1 pkg frozen spinach
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt (to taste)
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoon chana dal (also known as yellow split pea or Bengal gram dal) 
2 1/2 cups of combination of: yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk
1 heaping teaspoon coriander seeds 
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
ginger (to taste)
1 tablespoon flaked unsweetened coconut
1 green chilli pepper
1 red chilli pepper
black mustard seeds
curry leaves

Steps:
Soak channa dal in enough water to cover dal (approx. 15 mins). Boil spinach in a little water with turmeric and salt. Heat mustard seeds and curry leaves in a little bit of oil (until mustard seeds pop). Mix yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk to a thick consistency (called moru).

Blend channa dal with coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ginger, coconut, green chilli, and red chilli - with enough water to blend. 

Add blended mixture to moru and mix all together.

Combine moru with spinach, mix together.

Add mustard seeds.

Mala Nagarajan lives in Seattle, Washington. She enjoys cooking as a hobby and has been otherwise known as the 'Potluck Queen'. Her favorite recipe book is An Earthly Delight Cookbook: Dakshin -Vegetarian Cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanabhan. She is co-coordinating an e-mail list for South Asian queer women and is working on developing resources for South Asian parents of queers. 

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