Agathi Keerai Sambar:

Agathi Keerai(Tamil) is known as Agathi leaves in English. The botanical name of this tree is Sesbania grandiflora and common name is Hummingbird tree. It is also called as Agasthiya in sanskrit.

Medicianal Value: Balances pitta and kapha, Bitter in taste and has to be taken occasionally.It is not advised during medication as it has the potency to reduce the power of medicine. Antidote for poisons.It has cooling effect. Good for fever. As most of the greens,it is a laxative. Helps in digestion. It is a tonic. Cures insanity.It is a considered as a satvic food.

Ingredients:

Agathi Keerai 1 heavy bunch
Green chilies 3 slitted
Onion 1 large chopped coarsely
Tomatoes 2 chopped roughly
Thoor dal 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Sambar powder 1 spoon
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon
Oil few spoons.

For Seasonning:

Thallippu Vadam 2 spoons
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Dry red chilies 1 crushed
Curry leaves few
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Oil few spoons.

Method:

Cook thoor dal till tender and set aside.

In a vessel, heat oil. Add chlies, onion and tomatoes and saute for few minutes.

Add salt, turmeric and chili powders too.

Then add greens and cooked dal. Allow it to boil for really really long time. Add 2-4ups of water. This greens take lot of time to get cooked. Maybe like more than 30 minutes.

So when you feel comfortable(green cooked) add tamarind water and sambar powder.

In a seperate pan, heat up oil and add seasonning items and wait till they splutter. Run this over the sambar made.

Its also called Agathi keerai rasam at some parts. This sambar/rasam shuld be really liquidy-thin. Actually the water is more tasty than the greens itself. Drinking this sambar has too many medicinal use.