Gongura Pachadi

Gongura / Pulicha Keerai Pachadi recipe..

Ingredients

Gongura leaves - 1 medium sized bunch
Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Broken Urud dhal - 2 tea spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
Methi (Fenugreek) seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Red chilies - 7
Gingelly oil - for frying
Tamarind - lemon size
Shallots (small onions)  - 15 pieces or 1 big onion (optional)
Garlic - 30 pieces
Salt to taste


1. Wash gongura leaves thoroughly in water.Drain them under fan for 1 hour by spreading the leaves.
No water should be left out.

2. Heat 2 tea spoon of gingelly oil (cooking oil as an alternative) and add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, broken urud dhal, methi seeds , red chilies and fry them until they turn brown..(No over frying). At the end add mustard seeds and fry for a minute.

                               { The tea spoon which I use to measure is depicted above... }

3. Remove the fried items and in the same kadai, fry peeled garlic.

4. Fry the small onions till they turn brown,remove them and keep aside..

5. Now add 2 tea spoon of gingelly oil and fry gongura leaves. Fry till they shrink and turn completely brown.

6. Grind all the fried items from step 2 into smooth powder. Do not add water.

7. Now add gongura leaves ,3/4 th  of fried garlic pieces,salt , tamarind extract .

8.  Mix well with spoon and grind to a coarse paste. No addition of water.
Note:  No over grinding...gongura leaves should look like mashed..

9. Finally add fried onions and whip the mixer 2 rounds.
Note : Adding onions is optional.

10. Transfer the contents to bowl. Heat 8 tea spoon of gingelly oil and add to the ground pachadi.

11. Add remaining 1/4 th of fried garlic pieces.

12. Mix well and serve with rice.

Note : Add some more hot oil to preserve this for 1 week...