Gongura Daal

I met my friend, N who is from Hyderabad at our local Indian stores the other day. She was buying some fresh Gongura leaves. I meant to try them from such a long time. Though I have eaten them in the form of pickles, I had never cooked till then. So I picked up some Gongura leaves and asked N for the recipe. Her recipe was simple, cook with daal and give a "tempering" of your choice. She also advised me not to add any souring agent like tamarind since these leaves are sour.

I think they are similar to Ambat Chuka or Ambadi leaves that are used in Maharashtrian cooking.

Gongura Daal

Ingredients

1 cup toor daal

1 bunch gongura leaves, roughly chopped about 1 1/2 cups

salt to taste

Tempering

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 red chilies, halved

Method

1. Pressure cook daal and gongura leaves adding about 2 cups water.

2. Heat oil. Add all the ingredients for tempering.

3. Add daal along with gongura leaves. Mash a little with the back of the spoon.

4. Add water to get the required consistency. Add salt.

5. Bring to boil. Let it simmer for 7-9 minutes.

6. Serve hot as a soup or along with rice.

This post is my contribution to RCI - Authentic Hyderabadi Cuisine at Mona's.