Anapakaya Sengapappu Kura Bottle Gourd-Channa Dal Curry
Anapakaya Sengapappu Kura Bottle Gourd-Channa Dal Curry
Anapakaya Sengapappu Kura Bottle Gourd-Channa Dal Curry
curry
Last week, while leafing through a handwritten recipe file, I unearthed a notable recipe that
involves Sorakaya aka bottle gourd. Time had come to re-create it and savor the forgotten taste.
Channa dal and cubed bottle gourd are slowly simmered in a tamarind based masala gravy until
soft on bite. Deliciously tangy with a faint whisper of sweetness, the curry made for a hearty
meal with rotis.
Andhra
.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chana dal/senaga pappu, wash and soak in water for 30 mts
2 green chillis
small lemon sized tamarind (soak in a cup of warm water and extract)
1 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the green chillis, curry leaves and chopped onions and saute
till the onions turn transparent.
2 Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 4 mts. Add salt, chilli pwd and coriander pwd.
Combine. Add the cubed bottle gourd, combine and place lid. Cook on medium flame for 7-8
mts, stirring in between.
3 Add the soaked channa dal along with 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. At this stage add
the chopped tomatoes and cook for 12-15 mts with lid. Add the tamarind extract and cook
without lid till the dal turns soft but holds shape. Add garam masala and combine.
4 Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or rotis.
Andhra Masala Vada Recipe
Makes 12-15 small vadas
Ingredients:
1 cup channa dal / kadala paruppu / Bengal gram
A few shallots or 1 small onion, chopped fine
1/2 tsp jeera / cumin seeds
3 green chillies, cut into thin circles
1" piece of ginger, grated
2 pods of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
A few curry leaves (I added lots!)
Salt to taste
Oil
Soak channa dal for atleast 2 hours. Drain and grind to a coarse mixture with all other ingredients. I
leave some whole dal out while grinding and then add them on to the mixture before shaping, so that
there's a bite in the vada. Make sure you add as little water as possible, in fact, a few drops should be
sufficient, if at all you need it.
Shape into small discs and deep fry. I made these in the paniyaram pan that I use for pakoda and other
fried goodies.
Gongura Pachadi
Adapted from Cooking with Pedatha
Ingredients:
8 cups tightly packed gongura leaves / pulicha keerai / sorrel leaves (discard thick stems and retain the
tender ones)
3/4 cup gingelly / sesame oil
Salt to taste
1. Heat 1/2 cup oil and add the gongura leaves. Cook well for about 30 mins until the leaves shrink to
almost nothing and all the water has evaporated. The leaves will have a cooked/fried consistency.
2. In another pan, heat 2 tbsp oil for 1st tempering. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add the
fenugreek seeds. Remove from fire and let the fenugreek brown. Then add the red chillies and as they
turn shiny, add the remaining ingredients for the 1st tempering.
3. Grind the above mixture into a course paste with salt without water. Then add the cooked gongura
and grind some more, but not into a fine paste.
4. Heat remaining oil for 2nd tempering and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the fenugreek
seeds and lower flame. When they turn brown, add the garlic and red chillies. As the chillies turn shiny,
add the asafoetida. Garnish the ground pachadi with this tempering and mix well.
Serve with warm steamed rice and melted ghee. I prepared an all-Andhra-dishes lunch recently and this
Gongura Pachadi was part of that. Other recipes following soon.
Oh and btw, let me know when you are back from heaven after eating this!
Ingredients:
1 lb tender chopped bhindi
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustards
1 medium finely chopped onion
few curry leaves
4 green chillies (slit them length wise)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 medium size finely chopped tomatoes
salt as per taste
finely chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Method:
1. Chop the ladyfingers, onion, green chillies, tomatoes and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a thick bottom kadai, add cumin seeds and mustards, let them splutter. Add curry leaves,
green chillies and chopped bhindi pieces, mix well, fry for 10 minutes(uncovered), stirring between on
low heat.
3. Add chopped onions, mix well, fry till transparent. Add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste, mix,
cook for more 3 minutes. Add chopped tomato pieces, mix, cook for more 5 minutes, add salt. Mix,
again cook for more 5 minutes and sprinkle the finely chopped coriander leaves and turn off the heat.
Kadhai Bhindi
Ingrediants
250 gms Lady finger (okra / bhindi)
1 tbsp Gram flour .
1 Large Onion (Thinly sliced)
2 Green Chilis (Thinly sliced)
1/2 Tsp Mango powder
1 Tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 Tsp Garam masala powder
1 tsp Cumin seeds
A pinch turmeric powder
Vegetable oil as required
Salt to taste
Process
Cut Okhra into thin long slices. Heat oil in a kadhai. Deep fry Okhra until crisp and light golden
brown. Keep the fried lady finger aside. Just leave 2 tbsp oil in kadhai, remove the rest. Add cumin
seeds and green chilli and fry for 30 seconds. Add sliced onion and fry until golden brown. Add
gram flour, mango powder and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add lady finger and the remaining
ingredients. Mix well and heat for a few seconds and then remove from heat. Garnish with green
coriander leaves and serve hot (if possible in a copper base kadhai).
Ingredients:
salt to taste
1 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the grated ginger,
asafoetida, coriander pwd, turmeric pwd, cumin pwd, red chilli pwd and a tbsp of water and
saute for 15-20 seconds. Add the cubed potatoes and salt. Cover with lid and cook on medium
flame for 4-5 mts, tossing in between.
2 Add the okra pieces and combine. Cook without lid for approx 22-25 mts or till the okra and
potatoes are almost cooked. Combine in between every 5-6 mts by tossing. (This is a dry saute
dish)
3 Add chopped tomatoes and amchur pwd and combine. Cook with out lid for another 7-8 mts
and turn off heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and place lid and let it rest for a few mts before
serving. Serve hot with phulkas, parathas or puris.
Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
salt to taste
1 In a bowl, combine yogurt, chilli pwd, coriander pwd, saunf pwd, salt, coriander leaves and
green chilies. Keep aside
2 Heat oil in a vessel, add cumin seeds and let them brown. Add crushed ginger and chopped
onions and saute for 4-5 mts. Add turmeric pwd and combine. Add the cubed brinjals and cook
on medium high flame for 3 mts. Cover with lid and let them cook on medium low flame for 15-
17 mts. Keep checking in between and stir fry to ensure the brinjals don’t burn or stick to the
pan.
3 Add the tomatoes and combine. Cook for another 3 mts. Add a cup of water and jaggery, bring
to a boil and reduce flame. Place lid and cook over low flame for 15 mts. Remove lid and cook
for another few mts if it appears still watery. Add the yogurt mixture and combine. Allow the
curry to cook till you achieve a thick gravy consistency. Add garam masala pwd and kasuri
methi and combine. Turn off heat.
4 Serve with rice or rotis.