Thotakura pulusu

Thotakura Ava Pulusu ~ Mustard flavored Amaranth leaves stew

1Thotakura Ava Pulusu Recipe
Prep & Cooking: 30 mts
Serves 4-5 persons
Cuisine: Andhra
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Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups finely chopped thotakura leaves and stalks (tightly packed)
1 big onion finely chopped
4 green chillis slit length wise
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
small lemon sized tamarind (soak in a cup of warm water and extract)
1-2 tsps jaggery or sugar
1 tsp rice flour
3/4 tsp mustard seeds + 1 red chili, ground to a coarse pwd
salt to taste
For tempering/poppu/tadka:
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp methi seeds
1 tsp split black gram dal (optional)
1-2 dry red chillis (tear into pieces)
5 garlic flakes crushed or large pinch asafoetida
10-12 curry leaves
1 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds, let them pop, add the cumin seeds, methi seeds and let them turn slightly red. Add split gram dal and let it turn red. Add garlic, red chillis, curry leaves, chopped onions and green chillis and sauté till onions turn slightly pink (approx 3-4 mts).
2 Add the thotakura leaves and stir fry for 4 mts. Add the turmeric pwd and salt and mix. Cover with lid and cook till the greens cook (approx 7-8 mts).
3 Add the tamarind extract and jaggery and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and cook for another 9-10 mts or till the rawness of tamarind disappears. Sprinkle the rice flour and mix and you will find that the gravy thickens. Cook for a minute, add mustard pwd and mix. Turn off heat.
4 Serve with white rice.
Blanching of amaranth leaves Boil 2 cups water in a deep vessel. Add salt, pinch of turmeric pwd and chopped amaranth leaves and cook over medium flame for 5 mts. Strain and use left over water to prepare chapati dough and use the blanched leaves and stalks as called for in the recipe. For the above recipe the leaves were not blanched. If using blanched thotakura, reduce the cooking time before adding water.

Bellam Avakaya

Courtesy: Maa Inti Vanta - My Home Cooking (Visit website)

Mix avva (mustard powder),red chili powder, salt, fenugreek seeds and oil with mango pieces and keep aside for 4 - 5 days.Separate the mango pieces from the mixture and sun dry them separately till the mango pieces dry well.

Make jaggery syrup and bring to room temperature.

Mix the syrup with mixture.

Cut the mango pieces into small pieces.

Add the mango pieces with the base and mix well.

Mix thoroughly and let cool. Save in an air tight container.

Read more at http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/bellam-avakaye-photo-tutorial-fid-618903#o8R2IfBlVcH5quHZ.99 

Yummy... Mango Chutney

Mangai Thokku / Grated Mango Pickle

12/03/2012  UMA RAMANUJAM  19 COMMENTS

It is not a mango season. But when I saw fresh mangoes in market a week before, I felt like tasting it. So I bought a few mangoes. Then I decided to make mango thokku out of one. The one which I posted here is the recipe from my grandma. My mother-in-law used to prepare same kind of thokku for mixing it with rice and her version is different. I will be posting her recipe in summer during the mango season.

My grandma makes this recipe often during mango season and most of the time it lasts only for a week or two. When it is prepared at home, we use it not only with curd rice, but also with paratha, roti, hot steamed rice, idly, dosa, sandwich and sometimes we use it as a condiment for papad too. This thokku is very addictive than pickle. You can also prepare it instantly.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: <10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients:

Raw mango - 1 no, Large size
Gingerly Oil - 3 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoons
Asafoetida - a big pinch
Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoons (see notes)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Jaggery - 1 teaspoon (Optional)
Roasted fenugreek powder - 1/4 teaspoon (Optional)

Method:

1) Peel the skin of the raw mango and grate it nicely.
2) Heat a non-stick pan/ kadai. Heat oil in it.
3) Add mustard seeds when the oil is hot and not smoking. Let it splutter.
4) Immediately add Asafoetida. Make sure not to burn it.

5) Add grated mango and give a quick stir.
6) Cover and cook for 5 minutes in low flame.
7) After 5 minutes, the grated mango reduces to half. Now add salt as per the mango quantity, turmeric powder and red chilli powder.

8) Saute it till the raw smell of red chilli powder goes off.
9) Add jaggery and roasted fenugreek powder if you are using(I didn't add both). Cover again and cook till the oil separates from the mango. It will again take 4-5 minutes. Make sure to keep it in low flame.
10) Switch it off and cool to room temperature. Store in dry, air tight container. It stays good for a month if stored in refrigerator.
11) Goes well with hot steamed rice, Curd rice, Idly, Dosa and any type of parathas.

Note:
1) I used home made red chilli powder and hence I used more to get correct spicy level. If you use store bought red chilli powder, use less or more according to its spicy level.
2) Taste a pinch of grated mango before preparing the thokku and check whether it is sour or not. If it is sour, add jaggery or you can skip it.
3) If you like, use roasted fenugreek powder to it.

Courtesy: Uma's Kitchen Experiments