Gongura Pulihora

I have already posted one recipe called 'Pulicha Keerai Masiyal' earlier.  The Pulicha keerai is called Gongura in Andra Pradesh and its a delicacy there.  Its used in many recipes that softens its sharp tangy taste.  One such very famous recipe is Gongura Pulihora.

The Puliodorai or the Pulihora which is famous both in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is prepared with Tamarind.  This Pulihora prepared with Gongura is equally delicious as this green has the tangy taste to it.

Ingredients

• Gongura - 1 bundle
• Green chillies - 3 to 4
• Cooked rice - 3 cups (or as needed)
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 5 tbsp

Roast and Grind 1:

• Dry Red Chillies - 15
• Dhania seeds - 2 tbsp
• Seasame seeds - 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp

Roast and Grind 2:

• Bengal Gram - 2 tbsp

To Temper:

• Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
• Dry Red Chillies - 2
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
• Hing - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Roasted and peeled Peanuts - 2 handfuls

Method

First pick the leaves alone from the stems and discard the stems.  Wash the leaves well and keep aside.  Heat a kadai and dry roast the 'Roast and Grind 1' ingredients.  Grind them together to a coarse powder and set aside.  Then roast and grind the bengal gram alone.  Now in the same kadai, add about 2 tsp of oil and add the green chillies, broken in half.  Then add the Gongura leaves and keep tossing till they wilt completely.  Grind them without adding any water.  The moisture in the greens will be enough to grind it.

Heat the same kadai and add about 5 tbsp of oil.  If this oil is sesame oil it will give a good fragrance and the taste will be richer.  The add the ingredients given in 'To Temper' list one by one.  Then add the ground Gongura leaves paste to it and keep stirring it all the moisture leaves it.  Add the required amount of salt to it.  At one stage, it will become one mass and look more like a halwa.  It will not stitck to the kadai.  This is the right stage to add the cooked rice.

You can preserve this paste in refrigerator for about 2 weeks and mix and serve with rice as needed.  Here I have given 3 cups of rice measurement.  So instead of adding the rice to the mixture, please add the mixture as required to the rice.  This way any excess paste can be stored and used later.

This goes well with appalam, or potato fry or any vegetable.  But the peanuts in them will give a nice crunch and flavor to the rice that you can eat it without any side dish.