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Gongura Pachadi / Sorrel Leaves Chutney / Pulicha keerai Chutney / Chukka Bhaji
Posted by KALVA at 4:10:00 AMGongura aka Sorrel is called Andhra Maatha( Mother of Andhra Pradesh, India ). Serving gongura pickle(chutney) for any guest is like giving honor to him. Yes its that important. Gongura is full or iron and tastes very sour just like tamarind. Normally tamarind is a must in most of the indian / andhra pickles or chutneys, but this one with sorrel leaves is an exception. I find myself very lucky that day, if i find this one in indian grocery.
I am proud owner of this plant. Yes, I have gongura(sorrel) plant in my backyard now, and i made this chutney using the same. Theres a funny history behind planting this plant. Actually my husband doesnt eat any chutneys or pickles, the only green leafy indian vegetables he eat are Amaranth leaves and spinach. Since it was so hard for us to get amaranth leaves here, i bought some seeds saying ( paala thotakura ) Amaranth Leaves seeds and planted them.Once the tender leaves started to sprout i was surprised to find them to be Sorrel plant instead of Amaranth as it says on the packet. And now i am reaping the fruits of this plant. It was so funny, I shared this story whenever someone intrigues about the plant in my backyard.. The sorrel leaves have special distinct sourness which leaves you craving for more once tasted. It actually revives your taste buds, if u havent had anything lately that has special zing!
To make Gongura Pachadi, you need:
- 4 cups of tightly packed cleaned and washed sorrel leaves( just pluck the leaves, discard the stems )
- 1 large onion
- 5-6 green chillies
- 2 red chillies
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp urad dal / black gram beans
- 2 tbsp channa dal / yellow split chickpeas
- 1 tsp cumin seeds( jeera )
- a dash of hing / asofetida
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
Toast the seasonings:
- Heat kadai or pan and 1 tsp oil and roast urad dal, coriander seeds, red chillies, cumin seeds, hing.
- Dont brown them, fry them until the starts to release flavors and the lentils turn to golden hue.
- Once cooled down powder them and set aside.
How to make chutney:
- Pluck the leaves from the stems, wash clean and drain them and remove excess moisture using a kitchen towel.
- In the same kadai add remaining oil and sorrel leaves and green chillies
- Cook these leaves under low heat until the raw smell disappears( check the picture )
- Once the leaves are cooked thoroughly , the leaves color changes from green to nearly black switch off the flame and let it cool
- In a blender run the spices first and once powdered finely, add the greens and blend to a paste
- Chop the onions and add to the ground chutney
- Your sour leaves aka gongura chutney is ready to relish!
Serve this sour chutney with hot rice( with clarified butter on top ), chapathi, rotis or bread. Another classic serving suggestion of this chutney is with plain home made yogurt and rice. The tangyness from the chutney compliments the curd/yogurt very well. This chutney stays good in the refrigerator for upto a week, make sure you dont add extra water. This will be my entry for Grow Your Own hosted by Andrea.
24 COMMENTS:
I like that tangy taste in gongura,Thanx for posting:)
Yes Raji, Gongura is very nutritious too..
Oh I love gongura pachadi with curd rice. Recently about 2 months ago we had visited our andhra friends and she had made this. Just loved it. By the way do you still get gongura in the grocery stores now?
This is a great post! I enjoy Indian cooking, but I still feel lost when it comes to some of the ingredients, so this is very helpful. Thanks for a great entry for Grow Your Own!
Yes Seema you are right, the tangyness from gongura pachadi goes very well with the plain yogurt rice. Normally they serve thsi gingura pachadi back home with some onion on the side.
Seema, i hardly get gongura here near our house, it takes me an hour to go to the store which is full of all indian veggies. I am sure you can find in good indian grocery stores which carries a lot of indian veggies!
Thanks Andrea, yes this is my first vegetable plant. It feels so good to have your own plant and use it whenever you need to.
I learnt to appreciate the taste of gongura only after I started cooking with it. My procedure is also similar to yours. But it's been years since I made this and I'm craving for some with white rice now.Nice pictures.:-)
i love gongura chutney :) i always keep it in my frigde and have it with rice porridge/kanji whenever i am sick... thanks for sharing the recipe!
Wow!!!! this is gr8 dear. Your so lucky to actually reap them in your backyard, in this part of the world. I die for gongura, any form or style it is made. Here in Canada, we hardly get them. I used to make Gongura pachadi in this style back home. Thanks for sharing a zing thing yaar.
Thanks Lissie for stopping by, i dont think this chutney can stay good for more than a week or two. But the other pickle( ooragaya) long shelf life pickle, has been good for me for more than an year.
Thanks Rina, yes in 5 years i actually bought vegetable only 6 times or so. Yep its that for me to find this one in the desi stores. Now that i have in my garden, i am cooking it a lot!!
Gongura Pachadi is my all time fav pickle.. Love the pics Kalva!
~ Siri
looks delecious my mom use to make this always
Thanks Siri, it my fav tooo..!
Growing gongura in your own backyard. What a fortunate accident, and how lucky you are!
Gongura pacchadi looks absolutely mouthwatering, kalva. I wish I lived near by.:)
Thank you so much Indira, i would be the one blessed if i live near you., all the wonderful dishes you cook.. Yumm!
wow
chustuntene noorutundi
and i wish i have ur garden
I made this just now and it tastes so good. This is the first time I'm making this pachadi.
Thanks Anusha...
Thanks madhuram,.... glad you liked my gongura pachadi.. Just checked your blog.. nice one..!!!!!
I wish you change the dark background of your blog so that I can truly enjoy reading and copying your excellent Andhra recipes. You are too good dear.
Awesome story...Where did you get the seeds from?I have been looking for this pulicha keerai here for almost three years.Yesterday i found a tiny bunch-I was so excited that i ate part of the bunch raw!mmm...Yummy.
Heaven in a few simple bites
bangalorewithlove.com
great
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