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| Gurugaaku Pulagura |
Gurugaaku Pulagura is a mashed greens curry, which is tangy and spicy prepared with Gurugaaku leaves. Amma has a fond favorite to these kinds of leafy vegetables. She cooks these leaves and talks about its medicinal value. Usually the flavor associated with the leafy greens is sour. So here in the recipe, tamarind and green chilies are added to give a perfect balance to the curry. Garlic is cooked along with the Gurugaaku leaves to leave sweet flavor in the dish. Seasoning of course adds to the taste and generally pleasing. Gurugaaku leaves can also be cooked with powdered groundnuts for the nutty taste and for its nutrition quotient.
Gurugaaku is a common weed in cultivated fields, river banks and grasslands. Especially in the peanuts / groundnuts field, this is grown wildly all over. Gurugaaku is a telugu name for the greens. It is called in Kannada as Anne Soppu and in Tamil it is called Pannai Keerai. Though this plant is of Amaranth family, its English name is not known.
Gurugaaku leaves are of two kinds. One is round in shape and another one is of a narrow shape. Gurugaaku has immense medicinal value. The young leaves are left in a partial shade like in the morning sun for its leaves to wither. Alternatively bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop the leaves in it. Stir them around a bit. In just a few minutes, the greens will start to wilt. Regular consumption of this greens helps ward off ulcerative colitis, stomatitis, sore throat and similar conditions.
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| Fresh Gurugaaku / Anne Soppu / Pannai Keerai |
Ingredients:
2 cups of Gurugaaku leaves / Anne Soppu / Pannai Keerai
5 to 6 green chilies or 8 to 10 dry red chilies
1 onion
4 to 5 garlic cloves
lemon size tamarind
1/4th tsp of turmeric powder
1/4th tsp of coriander powder
1/4th tsp of pepper powder
1/4th tsp of cumin powder
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
Oil 1 tbsp.
salt to taste
Cooking Method:
1. Partially dry the fresh leaves in morning sun for sometime and allow the leaves to wither. Clean the leaves keeping it aside.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot, adding green chilies. Once the green chilies changes its color, add the cleaned Gurugaaku leaves and fry them until the rawness disappears. This may take around 5 to 10 minutes in low-medium flame.
3. Now add salt, tamarind, peeled garlic cloves, coriander powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, cumin powder and cook with a glass of water until the water is evaporated.
4. Once cooked mash the greens with a wooden masher called pappu gutti in telugu (alternatively, the cooked greens can be cooled and blend in a mixer).
5. Now heat oil in a pan for seasoning. Add mustard seeds followed by fresh curry leaves. Add onions and cook them until tender. Finally add the mashed greens. Keep the flame on low for 5 minutes.
6. Gurugaaku Pulagura is ready to serve with warm rice and a dollop of ghee. This curry taste better the next day.
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