Gongura Dal

Gongura (Sorrel leaves) 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. It is a very rich source of Iron, vitamins, folic acid and anti-oxidants and is highly recommended for diabetes and heart patients to maintain their diet.

Last night I tried a hybrid version of the Gongura Pappu (dal) with my grand mom's recipe. The quantities used here make a dal that serves 6 people. Adjust quantities according to the number of people you are making it for.

- Gongura leaves 3 cups (chopped and thoroughly cleaned)
- 1.5 small cups chana dal and 1/2 cup toor dal (soaked in hot water for 30 mins before cooking)
- 3 slit green chillies
- 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 3 onions (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp sambhar powder
- Seasoning (mustard, jeera, turmeric, curry leaves)
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt to taste

Pressure cook the soaked dal and gongura leaves with a little salt for 5-8 minutes, drain out all the water and set aside. In the meanwhile, heat oil in a deep pan, add the mustard seeds. once it stops spluttering, add jeera, haldi and the slit green chillies. Saute the onions till they turn transparent. Then add the chopped tomatoes and allow to cook for a while. Once completely cooked, add the gongura dal and mix well. Add the red chilli powder, sambhar powder, some more salt, sugar and mix well. Bring to a boil and cover it with a lid to trap the flavours.As it is a thick dal, can be had with phulkas / rotis or even hot rice.

Thanks for the recipe ajji!!!