Tuesday 26 November 2013

Gongura pappu |Andhra style dal with sorrel leaves |ambada daal



If you have visited andhra i am sure you must have heard about gongura

Gongura means sorrel leaves in english and ambadi in hindi or marathi and pappu is andhra name for dal

Gongura pappu is another popular recipe from Andhra, it's taste delicious and very easy to prepare just in few steps and minimal ingredients. 



 




The gongura greens are cherished in Andhra cuisine more than any of its counterparts and is used to prepare delectable pappu, pachadi and other dishes. ...
Authenthic Andhra meal is ofcourse the combination of this dal mixed with rice, ghee and papad.

Description

Gongura is a leafy plant , which has many culinary uses, the most popular is the pickled version. Gongura comes in two varieties, green stemmed leaf and red stemmed. The red stemmed variety is more sour than the green stemmed variety. Gongura is popular in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In Maharashtra markets, it is called Ambaadi. It is a summer crop and the hotter the place the more sour the leaf gets. Andhra Pradesh produces the best quality Gongura.


Culinary uses

·Gongura is a leafy vegetable and has very distinctive sour taste. This is one of main ingredients in authentic Andhra cuisine. 
·When cooked with toor dal or as pickle, it wakes up, more like zings the taste buds and makes you crave its unique taste
·Other well known recipes made with Gongura as the main ingredient are Gongura Pappu (Lentils), Gongura mamsam (goat/mutton) and Gongura royyalu (shrimp).
·Apart from the curries there are many varieties of pickles made with gongura such as Pulla Gongura (Gongura + Red Chillies and Pulihara Gongura (Gongura and tamarind.

Health benefits

·Gongura are an excellent source of folate and a very good source of vitamin B6, both of which are needed to keep levels of homocysteine, a potentially dangerous molecule, low.
·Gongura is a very rich source of Iron, vitamins C, folic acid and anti-oxidants essential for human nutrition 
·They are rich in calcium, iron, zinc and Vitamin A
·In addition, they also are a very good source of riboflavin, another important B vitamin for cardiovascular health since it is necessary for the proper functioning of B6.



Ingredients:

Gongura / Sorrel Leaves  -1 cups (Discard stems,wash and Chopped)
Toor dal/Kandipappu  -1.5 Cup(washed and soaked in water for 15 minutes)
Onion ,finely chopped - 1 medium (optional)
Green Chillies -5 ,sliced lenghtwise
Salt to taste
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind pulp -  tbsp (adjust according to taste and as per sourness of gongura)(optional)
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

tadka
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing -a Pinch
Few Curry Leaves
red chilli broken into two pieces 
Oil - 1 tsp


Method:

1.Separate gongura leaves from the respective stems. Wash and Chop.



2.Wash the toor dal with water .Pressure cook toor dal along with  sliced green chillies,chopped gongura leaves,turmeric powder adding about 2 1/2 cups water for 4-5 whistles.It takes more time for dal to cook with gongura leaves as they are sour.Do not open pressure cooker until all internal pressure is released. (see tip 1)




3.When the pressure is released remove the cooked dal and add red chilli powder and salt.Mash it with a laddle into smooth paste. Check for the sourness if required add tamarind pulp.Mix well once again and cook on simmer heat for 7-8 minutes till the flavors come together.

4.Now, in a sauce pan, over medium heat, do the seasoning or tadka .Heat oil in a pan and add  mustard seeds.when they start spluttering add cumin seeds ,hing and curry leaves,smashed garlic .Turn off the heat and add tadka to the daal and mix well.



5. Serve hot with Rice or Chapati. Authenthic Andhra meal is ofcourse the combination of this dal mixed with rice, ghee and papad.





Tips


  1. You can even Cook dal and gongura leaves in different cooker container and add gongura leaves in tempering
  2. If you don't like to pressure cook leafy vegetable blanch it in open pan or microwave for 3-4 minutes. 
  3. You can adjust gongura leaves (khatta bhaji) quantity to suit your taste.



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